Impact on world trade
Houthis take over important locations at the “Gate of Tears”
Updated 09/11/2026 – 11:49 amReading time: 3 minutes
Escalation in the Yemen war: The Houthis probably control the city of Mocha and the island of Perim – and thus also an important strait. A UN representative is already warning of the consequences.
According to Yemeni military circles and eyewitness reports, the Houthi militia has captured the strategically important port city of Mocha on Yemen’s west coast. According to government sources, the strategically located island of Mayyun, also known as Perim, is also in Houthi hands. The from Iran The supported militia thus controls an important access to the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea.
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In the Yemen The Iran-backed Houthis are fighting against the government of Saudi Arabia is supported. The forces allied with the government had moved their weapons and equipment from Mocha to an area south of the city, military sources told the German Press Agency. This is part of a reorganization of troop deployment in the area near the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
In Perim, government troops are said to have withdrawn the day before. An eyewitness reported that armed Houthis then took up positions along the coast and were traveling in military vehicles.
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One of the most important trade routes
The “Gate of Tears” is, along with the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping routes. It separates the Arabian Peninsula from the Horn of Africa and connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. At its narrowest point, there are only around 27 kilometers between the Yemeni coast and Djibouti – so ships have to pass close to a shore that the Houthis control. The Houthis have attacked ships there several times in recent years, sometimes sinking them or hijacking them.
UN envoy speaks of “new and more dangerous phase”
The UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, warned the UN Security Council on Thursday of a “new and more dangerous phase” in the Yemen war. The capture of Mocha by the Houthi rebels gives them a direct presence at the entrances to the strait. This raises serious concerns about freedom of navigation on one of the world’s most important waterways.
