The Yemeni islands of Zuqar and Perim are vital for maritime security and fighting around the western coast has put them at the centre of a rebel offensive and the wider US-Iran war.
They lie in the Bab Al Mandeb strait, an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz for international shipping, connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and beyond.
Here is what we know about the battle between Yemen's government forces and the Iran-backed rebels for control of the two important islands:
Maritime security
Perim, also known as Mayyun, lies about 4km from Yemen’s mainland and 25km from Djibouti. Zuqar lies about 100km farther north in the Red Sea.
“The islands are important for maritime security,” said one Yemeni government official.
In recent weeks, fighting has raged between government forces and the Houthis. The latest battle resulted in the rebels seizing the strategic port city of Mokha on Yemen’s western coast on Thursday, extending their control along the Red Sea coast and near the Bab Al Mandeb strait.
The capture of Mokha and advance on the two islands are seen as significant advantages for the Houthis, giving them control of another strategically important point on Yemen’s west coast overlooking one of the world’s most important shipping corridors.
Splitting the strait
Perim, with an area of 13 square kilometres, lies within the Bab Al Mandeb, between Yemen’s mainland and Djibouti, effectively dividing the strait into two channels.
Its position gives whoever controls it an exceptional advantage in monitoring vessels entering or leaving the Red Sea and those on the route towards the Suez Canal for traffic between Asia, the Gulf and Europe.
The Houthis have been attacking ships in the area from farther north on Yemen’s west coast since the Gaza war began in October 2023, raising fears of more disruption to Red Sea shipping if they seize the strategic island.
“The Houthis are still far from Perim, it is still not under their control,” the Yemeni security official said, before adding that it could fall into the hands of the rebels, who often use speed boats and booby-trapped unmanned vessels to attack.
Anti-smuggling base
Zuqar lies in the Red Sea. Like Perim, it is a volcanic island of about 130 sq km, sitting between mainland Yemen and Eritrea. It lies about 32km off Yemen’s west coast and 90km south-west of Hodeidah.
In 1995, Eritrea captured the island after battling Yemeni forces but an international court in 1998 placed the island in Yemen’s custody.
The island is used by government forces to track shipping traffic, monitor movements by Houthi rebels and stop weapons smuggling in the Red Sea.
“Zuqar would fall immediately because they have no enforcement or logistical supplies; the people there could surrender to the Houthis as soon as they reach the island,” the government official said.
