Yemen’s Houthis seize strategic Mayun Island in Red Sea

BREAKING: Yemen's Houthis seize the strategic Mayun Island in the Red Sea, cementing control over the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and capturing millions of dollars of US-made military hardware.

The Houthis just took an island that sits in the front door of the Red Sea.

Mayun Island, also called Perim, lies right in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the passage between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. You can see it here, a volcanic rock that splits the shipping lane in two. Whoever holds it can watch, or threaten, everything that sails past.

And there's a second sting. The rebels captured millions of dollars worth of US-made military hardware sitting on that island. Equipment paid for out of Washington, now in Houthi hands, and the Pentagon will be asking hard questions about how it got left behind.

Only days ago Tehran was publicly distancing itself from this group. Apparently the Houthis didn't need the backing.

One small island, and a huge share of the world's trade now sails past a Houthi flag to get anywhere.

This is Sara White, reporting for HIT.