{
  "id": 7305239,
  "title": "Houthis seize more islands in southern Red Sea",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/houthis-seize-more-islands-in-southern-red-sea",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-14T11:25:30.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times",
    "slug": "the-economic-times",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/yemens-houthi-rebels-seize-more-key-islands-in-southern-red-sea-tighten-grip-on-shipping-routes/articleshow/134240092.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have taken control of additional strategic islands in the southern Red Sea, according to government and Houthi officials on Monday. This move bolsters their grip on a vital maritime shipping route. The capture of the islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish follows the Houthis' rapid advances around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial alternative shipping channel to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has been targeting vessels. The new territorial gains allow the Houthis to threaten Saudi crude oil shipments, which often utilize the Red Sea as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz due to Iran's attacks. This escalation heightens concerns over global oil supplies and prices, potentially providing Iran with leverage in its ongoing conflict with the United States. The Houthi rebels deployed forces on the Hanish islands, situated 160 kilometers (100 miles) north of Bab el-Mandeb, after a significant number of government-allied forces withdrew from the archipelago. The capture of the islands comes after the rebels seized the port city of Mokha on the mainland and the island of Mayun within the Bab el-Mandeb Strait last week. The Houthis' advances place them just 20 miles (32 kilometers) away from a U.S. military base in Djibouti, located on the opposite side of the strait. While the Houthi advances faced little resistance from internationally recognized government forces, the Yemeni military reported late Sunday that government forces have since regrouped and are advancing toward the strategic town of Dhubab, situated north of the strait. The intensified fighting is pushing Yemen back into a full-scale civil war, following a truce that largely maintained relative calm over the past three years.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}