Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on 11 September, opening a new front at a critical global shipping chokepoint after a month-long offensive along Yemen's western coast that reportedly killed more than 1,500 government soldiers. A former Pentagon press secretary, Morgan Murphy, described the move as both a strategic gain and a trap, warning that the Houthis have positioned themselves in a "kill box" vulnerable to overwhelming US firepower should Washington choose to act.

Perim, a barren volcanic island roughly 20 miles from the Horn of Africa and near the major US base at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, narrows the strait to just 18 miles and features a 6,070-foot airstrip believed to have been built by the UAE. Despite the tactical value of controlling this "cork" in the Red Sea, Murphy argued the Houthis lack the air power to exploit it and could be destroyed there easily. The seizure comes amid intense diplomacy: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly urged President Trump twice on 10 September to authorise strikes on Houthi positions, but Trump declined direct military involvement, saying the Houthis had signalled they did not want to fight the US, while continuing to offer intelligence support.