Houthi rebels have seized Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, raising concerns about U.S. Navy vulnerabilities in the region, according to a former Pentagon official.
Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, captured Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on September 11, marking a significant escalation at a crucial global shipping chokepoint. A former Pentagon official has warned that this move places the militants in a “kill box” vulnerable to U.S. military action.
The capture of Perim Island followed a month-long offensive along Yemen’s western coast, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,500 soldiers and forced the Yemeni government to acknowledge a “painful” defeat, as reported by The Associated Press.
“With Perim, they have gained what we could call the cork in the Red Sea bottle,” Morgan Murphy, a former Pentagon press secretary and retired Navy captain, told Fox News Digital. “But they’ve put themselves into a kill box. They’re nowhere near the capability of the United States, and if the president so chooses, he can wipe them off the face of that rock pretty easily.”
Perim Island, situated in the narrow maritime passage, is only 18 miles wide at this point. Murphy explained that the Houthis have effectively positioned themselves in an area that is susceptible to concentrated fire from U.S. forces.
“Perim cuts that chokepoint right in half,” he said. The island has historically been a strategic maritime vantage point, previously targeted for control by French forces and held by the British Empire for over a century.
Known as Mayun, Perim is a desolate volcanic island located approximately 20 miles off the Horn of Africa, placing it near Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, which hosts one of the largest U.S. military installations on the continent.
“We have incredible firepower in that region, and that’s a little rock in the middle of that strait. It’s a volcanic rock. It doesn’t have any water. It’s uninhabitable,” Murphy cautioned. “There’s no vegetation to speak of. And the Houthis have just massed their troops on that rock. So what that is, what we would call that in the Navy, is a kill box.”
Satellite imagery of the island reveals a 1.85-kilometer (6,070-foot) runway alongside three military hangars, which regional intelligence reports suggest were constructed by the United Arab Emirates. Murphy noted, “There’s a 6,000-foot airstrip on that island. I think that Emiratis built it.”
While having an airstrip is advantageous, Murphy expressed uncertainty about its condition and the Houthis’ ability to utilize it effectively. “We don’t know how they could possibly use that runway, and they certainly don’t have the sophisticated air power that the United States and its allies have to project power from that runway,” he said.
He emphasized that the U.S. military possesses overwhelming options if commanders decide to target the island. “We could wipe that rock into glass, just blast it into a smooth glass surface, put skates back on our feet, and skate all over it,” Murphy stated.
Murphy suggested that the Houthis are aware of their precarious situation. “That’s why the Houthis have kind of played coy with the president, and they know that even if they fortify that rock, they’re not going to be able to hold it in the face of the United States Navy.”
The situation has developed amid ongoing diplomatic discussions between Washington, Riyadh, and the Houthis. Sources confirmed to Fox News Digital that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had called President Donald Trump twice on September 10, urging him to authorize U.S. military strikes against Houthi positions. However, Trump declined direct intervention, with U.S. officials indicating that the administration has no immediate plans for direct combat involvement but will continue to provide intelligence support.
Speaking to reporters in Dublin on September 12, Trump indicated that the Houthis had expressed a desire to avoid direct confrontation with American forces. “The Houthis called us, and they don’t want to fight with us. They let us know, they don’t want to fight with us… they don’t want us to go after them,” Trump said.
Despite this, Murphy cautioned that Washington’s restraint should not be interpreted as inaction. “I can’t speak for the president. But this administration has not shown a lack of resolve to use force,” he remarked. “I wouldn’t doubt at all if the president took steps to pound some of these folks into the sand if they continue to really disrupt the global energy supply.”
According to Yemeni government, regional, and Iranian sources, the Houthi advance has been sustained by Iranian weaponry and tactical guidance from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), with U.S. officials estimating that hundreds of IRGC officers remain active in Yemen. Murphy noted that Tehran’s strategy appears aimed at driving up global fuel prices by choking critical shipping lanes.
Murphy compared the current conflict to historical naval power struggles, emphasizing the strategic imbalance. “We’re in a different era. They are nowhere near the sophistication of the world’s major powers. The Houthis are using a 19th-century playbook. They are not using 21st-century warfare,” he said. “So, yes, they’ve caught a critical cork in the Red Sea bottle, but how they use it remains to be seen.”
He concluded, “This is an example of why great powers really have to have a strong Navy. This is why Great Britain had a strong navy. This is why the United States has a strong navy, because there are so many regional powers who want to try to bottle up shipping, whether it is in the Strait of Malacca, whether it is in the Strait of Hormuz, and here, in this case, in the Red Sea.”
Looking ahead, Murphy predicted a coordinated effort by the Trump administration to ensure that allies remain aligned in keeping critical waterways open for freedom of navigation.
These developments highlight the complexities and potential consequences of the Houthi’s recent territorial gains in the region, as tensions continue to escalate.
According to The Associated Press.