After the Houthi takeover in Yemen, the Houthis moved to capture Perim island to consolidate their influence and gain access to the important trade route across the Bab-el-Mandeb strait. Most of Perim's native inhabitants which numbered around 4,500 were originally banished from the island during the British–Soviet satellite states split to form the island as a military base. After the beginning of the 2015 Yemen civil war, some of the originally displaced Perim natives joined the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen to regain the island from the Houthis. The local Yemeni inhabitants launched an assault on the Houthis with the support of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces. The native Perim islanders eventually defeated the Houthis in a violent battle that lasted a couple of hours and led to a power plant being destroyed. The Houthis accused the Saudi-led coalition of being "invaders". The Houthis planted multiple mines in the island and according to the local native leader, there's still a lot of obstacles to return the island to normal life.