Houthis expand Red Sea position as Saudi oil route faces repairs
Yemen’s Houthi forces reportedly seized the strategic islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish on Monday, September 14, according to statements from Houthi and Yemeni government officials, as damage to a Saudi oil pipeline added pressure to regional shipping and energy routes.
The Associated Press said the reported seizure had not been independently verified. The islands are roughly 160 kilometers north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and wider global shipping routes.
The reported move follows the seizure of the Red Sea port of Mokha and Mayun island the previous week. Saudi-backed Yemeni forces have launched or attempted counterattacks, including reported strikes on Houthi positions around Mokha and in Taiz province.
Houthi officials also claimed an attack on Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid Air Base. AP reported no immediate Saudi confirmation, and the Houthi statement did not specify when the alleged attack occurred.
Why the islands matter
The Hanish islands sit near a maritime corridor used by commercial shipping. Their reported seizure does not mean the Bab el-Mandeb has been fully closed. It does, however, add to the security risks facing vessels and could increase voyage times, insurance costs and freight expenses if operators divert around the threat.
At a U.N. Security Council briefing, member states condemned renewed Houthi attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Bab el-Mandeb, as well as attacks directed at Saudi Arabia. Speakers warned that the violence threatens maritime security, freedom of navigation and the flow of global commerce.
Pipeline damage adds pressure
Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline runs about 1,200 kilometers from Gulf ports to Yanbu on the Red Sea. The route allows the kingdom to move crude toward its western coast without relying entirely on the Strait of Hormuz.
AP reported that the pipeline was damaged in a September 10 attack that Saudi Arabia blamed on drones from Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. The approved reporting does not attribute that attack to the Houthis.
Two regional officials briefed on the repairs told AP that restoring the damaged infrastructure could take three to five weeks, including work at a major pumping facility. They spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to brief the media. One official said the pipeline might operate partially during repairs, but the amount of oil that could move was unknown.
Rystad Energy estimated that the pipeline had carried a weekly average of 2.6 million to 4 million barrels per day since late August. That is an estimate of recent pipeline flows, not confirmed Saudi production or export data. AP reported that Brent crude reached $109 in the cited Rystad analysis, which said the price reflected market concern about a possible loss of supply if the pipeline stopped completely.
Humanitarian costs and diplomatic risks
The military escalation is already affecting civilians. In a September 11 briefing, the U.N. said 18,000 households had been displaced since the start of September, with people moving toward Taiz, Aden, Lahj and Abyan. The same briefing said Mokha seaport had sustained significant damage, operations were suspended and roads had been cut, leaving emergency supplies stuck in Aden.
U.N. Special Envoy Hans Grundberg has warned that Yemen has entered a more dangerous phase and that large-scale conflict could return. The latest advances, shipping threats and infrastructure damage risk further weakening already stalled diplomacy.
For businesses and consumers outside the region, the immediate risk is not a confirmed blockade but a more expensive and less predictable transport system. Higher insurance and freight costs can affect oil, food and manufactured goods even if vessels continue using the waterway. The eventual effect on oil prices will depend on how much capacity remains available in the East-West Pipeline, whether other export routes stay open and whether attacks spread.
The next indicators will be independent confirmation of control of the Hanish islands, new maritime warnings for commercial vessels, updates on pipeline repairs and any Saudi or coalition response. Renewed U.N.-brokered talks would also signal whether the escalation can be contained.
Sources
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