Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have taken control of Perim Island (also known as Mayun Island), a strategic location in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance to the Red Sea, AFP reported on the 11th (local time).

A Yemeni government official told AFP that this effectively completes the Houthis' acquisition of control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait region.

The official stated that government forces withdrew from the island the previous day, and boats carrying armed Houthi fighters have arrived on Perim Island.

Another witness told AFP that armed fighters are being deployed along the Bab el-Mandeb coastline and are moving in military vehicles.

Perim Island, also called Mayun Island, divides the Bab el-Mandeb Strait into two shipping lanes.

Citing government sources, Reuters reported the same day that Houthi rebels also reached Dhubab, adjacent to the strait opposite Perim Island.

The sources explained to Reuters that securing Dhubab and Perim Island is critical to controlling the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The Houthis are rapidly taking control of the area, having captured the strategic port city of Mocha, located about 70 to 80 kilometers north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the previous day.

Amid Iran's ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, observers note that if the Houthi rebels, considered one of Iran's proxy forces, take control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, it could have a major impact on global maritime logistics as well as the dynamics of the Middle East war.

(Photo: Yonhap News)