Houthis capture Red Sea island in threat to shipping, and other Mideast developments

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen seized a key island on Friday, after taking a Red Sea port in a threat to international shipping. Iran called on Saudi Arabia to end its blockade of Yemen and immediately resume talks.

Separately, the AI company, Anthropic said it identified and blocked users in northern Yemen over advanced missile development efforts.

Here’s a look at the latest news in the Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.

Houthi rebels capture strategic island while Saudi Arabia targets airport

Yemen ’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels captured a strategic island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance of the Red Sea, two officials said Friday, in a swift advance that further threatens Saudi oil exports through one of the world’s key commercial lanes.

Saudi Arabia responded with airstrikes against the airport in the key port city of Mokha that the Houthis seized on Thursday, a Houthi broadcaster said. There was no immediate report of damage or deaths.

The capture of Mayun, a tiny, barren volcanic island in the strait, was confirmed by a senior military official with Yemen’s internationally recognized government and by a Houthi official. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to journalists.

The island, also known as Perim, is about 3.5 kilometers (2 miles) off Yemen’s west coast.

The Bab el-Mandeb at the southern end of the Red Sea is especially important to neighboring Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally, whose blockade of the Houthis has fed into the rebels’ escalating attacks on Saudi shipping as the kingdom tries to get its oil out of the region. About 12% of the world’s goods are typically shipped through the strait.

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By Samy Magdy in Cairo

Iran presses for end to Saudi blockade of Yemen

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has called for an end to Saudi Arabia’s blockade of Yemen and an immediate return to negotiations between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, throwing its support behind its ally.

It was Iran’s first public statement since the Houthis entered into the Red Sea port of Mokha on Thursday.

Iran’s ministry said Yemen’s sovereignty must be respected and its problems cannot be resolved through a blockade or military alliances. In a statement carried by the state-run IRNA news agency, Iran also said it was ready to help support negotiations.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s National Defense Council, chaired by President Rashad al-Alimi, strongly condemned the Houthis’ renewed attacks on Saudi Arabia, saying it would respond to threats across the country.

Anthropic blocks users in Houthi-held Yemen over weapons development

The AI company, Anthropic, said it identified northern Yemen-based users running weapons development programs using its AI models for sophisticated precision, long-range ballistic and hypersonic missiles, some using commercially available smartphones.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels control northern Yemen. The rebels have been smuggling advanced weapons for years, including cruise and ballistic missiles with at least 2,000 km-range and air and sea drones, despite a blockade and U.N. arms embargo. Iran denies arming the rebels.

Anthropic said it determined the users during an internal investigation into suspected weapons development and banned their accounts. The report covers the period between December 2025 and August 2026.

Anthropic said the accounts used Claude Code to develop guidance, navigation and control software that “steers and stabilizes a flying vehicle,” including performing a flight simulation. The users were working to develop a guided rocket using mobile phones to autonomously track targets; a multi-stage ballistic missile over 2,000 km-range; and a multi-variant missile that could maneuver and glide at hypersonic speed.

It said the users test-fired a guided rocket, returning to Claude to find out why it failed. There is no evidence they succeeded in fielding a device, Anthropic said.

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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

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