The Iran-backed Houthi movement has seized the strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha from Saudi-backed pro-government forces, according to military sources and witnesses. This capture brings the Houthis within 75 kilometers (46 miles) of the Bab al-Mandab Strait a critical gateway for global trade between Asia and Europe.
The Houthis have asserted that they pose no threat to international shipping but have reiterated their intention to target vessels from Saudi Arabia. This escalation has contributed to a surge in oil prices, as the Conflict between the Houthis, Yemen’s government, and Saudi Arabia intensifies.
The Battle for Mokha and Its Implications
Residents of Mokha reported that Houthi fighters moved into the city after fierce clashes with pro-government forces on Wednesday night. The sudden takeover caused widespread panic, with many families fleeing their homes amidst distressing scenes of injured people lying in the streets. Houthi fighters were seen patrolling the streets of Mokha on Thursday, while government offices and shops remained closed.
“The takeover came without warning. Panic spread throughout the area, forcing people to flee amid distressing scenes of injured people lying in the streets with no-one there to help them,” one man told BBC Arabic’s Middle East Lifeline programme. Another resident added, “At the moment, we don’t know what Ansar Allah will do. Everyone is afraid for their safety.”
Many displaced families are heading east towards the city of Aden where Yemen’s internationally recognized Presidential Leadership Council and government are based. “We fled with our children and kept running. We have no bedding, no home, nothing with us. Everything was destroyed within an hour. They didn’t even give us a chance or warn us beforehand,” one woman told BBC Arabic.
The Broader Conflict and International Response
The head of the Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi has urged Arab states and other countries to help protect Yemen’s coasts and restore state control. Meanwhile, the Houthis’ Supreme Political Council asserted their “right to defend [Yemen’s] sovereignty and territorial waters while simultaneously reassuring the international community that navigation in the Red Sea remains safe.”
However, the Houthi-run humanitarian operations coordination center stressed that the embargo on Saudi ships remains in place. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea reported that Saudi warplanes carried out 64 strikes across the western provinces of TaizHudaydahMarib and Jawf over the previous 24 hours.
The Saudi-led coalition of Arab states fighting in Yemen has vowed to respond to a series of Houthi missile and drone attacks on southwestern Saudi cities, including Khamis MushaitAbha and Jazan. On Tuesday, the Houthis launched dozens of drones and missiles at southern Saudi Arabia, injuring 73 civilians and causing fires at several oil facilities that led to a temporary halt in operations, according to Saudi authorities.
The Houthis claimed they were retaliating for dozens of Saudi air strikes on territory they control in recent days, including one on a prison in the town of Hazm in Jawf province on Monday that they said killed at least 23 civilians.
The Strategic Significance of Mokha
The capture of Mokha is a significant strategic move by the Houthis, as it brings them closer to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a critical choke point for global trade. The strait is a key route for oil exports, and its control could have far-reaching implications for global energy markets.
A Yemeni military source told AFP news agency that Houthi fighters had also seized Zuqar Island in the Red Sea, about 80 kilometers north-west of Mokha, after launching a barrage of rockets and a ground assault using boats.
The conflict in Yemen has been ongoing for more than a decade, with the Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen’s government against the Houthis. A four-year-old informal ceasefire began to unravel in July, when the Houthis announced a “maritime embargo” against Saudi Arabia and began missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities, and tankers in the Red Sea.
The Houthis stated they were retaliating for a Saudi blockade of ports and airports in their territory, as well as an air strike on Sanaa airport that they blamed on the kingdom.
