Houthi forces control Perim Island in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, escalating risks along a key Middle East shipping route

Yemen's Houthi forces reached Perim Island, a strategic island in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, on Friday, Yemeni government sources told Reuters. Government forces had previously withdrawn from the island, and the Houthis also seized the Red Sea coastal town of Zubab. If the Houthis control the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, it could provide Iran with a key advantage in a war with the United States, reducing supply through the second major transit corridor and driving up oil prices. The International Energy Agency said Saudi Arabia's crude supply fell by 2.3 million barrels per day month-on-month to 6 million barrels per day in August, the lowest level in more than three decades; global oil prices are expected this week to close above $100 per barrel for the first time since mid-May.