The Hanish archipelago fell after hundreds of government-allied forces withdrew, adding to Houthi control of Mokha and Perim Island. More than 80,000 people have been displaced in two weeks of fighting, as the internationally recognised government vows to regroup.

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have captured a strategic island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait

The rebels were reported Friday to have captured Perim, an island vital to controlling the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s most important shipping routes.

The advance comes after the Houthis captured the strategic port city of Mokha Thursday farther north along Yemen’s Red Sea.