Houthis Capture Mayun Island at Red Sea Entrance, Threatening Shipping

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have captured Mayun Island at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. The seizure was confirmed by a senior military official from Yemen’s internationally recognized government and a Houthi official, both of whom spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to brief journalists.

The nearby Bab el-Mandeb Strait normally carries about 12% of global goods. The route is particularly important to Saudi Arabia, which has relied on it as an alternative for oil exports while shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been disrupted.

Houthis exempt Saudi vessels

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Friday that maritime navigation was safe for all companies except those operating Saudi vessels. Markets remained nervous, and experts described the group as highly unpredictable.

U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq said Houthi forces seized a compound in Mokha that had housed U.N. staff. All staff left safely before the city was captured; Haq said no U.N. personnel remain in Mokha.

Saudi Arabia halts major pipeline

Saudi Arabia said Friday that it had shut down the East-West oil pipeline as a precaution after attacks the previous day. The Energy Ministry did not identify those responsible.

The pipeline has helped Saudi Arabia maintain oil exports during disruptions linked to the war with Iran. The International Energy Agency said exports through the Red Sea port at the pipeline’s terminus had more than doubled since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.

Iraq’s government said Saturday that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered an investigation into the operations command in Maysan province and dismissed its commander. Authorities determined that attacks targeting Saudi Arabia had been launched from a site in the province, the statement said.

Anthropic blocks Yemen accounts

Anthropic said it blocked users in northern Yemen who were using its AI models for weapons development. The company said the users employed Claude Code to develop software that steers and stabilizes a flying vehicle and were working on long-range and hypersonic missiles, as well as a guided rocket that could autonomously track targets through mobile phones.

Anthropic identified the accounts during an internal investigation and banned them. The company said there was no evidence the users had successfully fielded a weapon.