Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have seized the strategically important Red Sea port city of Mokha from Saudi-backed government forces, according to military sources and witnesses, marking a significant escalation in the conflict and raising new concerns over one of the world’s most important shipping corridors.
The advance comes as fighting intensifies between the Houthis, Yemen’s internationally recognized government and Saudi Arabia, with hundreds reportedly killed and thousands displaced since the Houthis began an offensive in southwestern Yemen about a week ago.
Mokha sits near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the southern gateway to the Red Sea shipping route connecting Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal.
Houthis expand control around Bab al-Mandab
Pro-government forces also withdrew Friday from Perim Island, also known as Mayyun, which lies in the middle of the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Local officials said Houthi fighters subsequently moved onto the island.
A Yemeni military source also told AFP that Houthi forces had captured Zuqar Island, about 80 kilometres northwest of Mokha, following rocket attacks and an assault involving boats.
A local official said the developments meant the Houthis had effectively completed their takeover of the Bab al-Mandab area and Mayyun Island.
The territorial gains could increase concerns about maritime security at a time when another major regional energy route, the Strait of Hormuz, has already been severely disrupted by the wider Middle East conflict.
Residents flee Mokha following fighting
Residents said Houthi forces entered Mokha after intense clashes with pro-government troops Wednesday night.
The fighting triggered panic and forced families to flee, with many displaced residents heading east toward Aden, where Yemen’s internationally recognized government and Presidential Leadership Council are based.
Witnesses said Houthi fighters were patrolling Mokha by Thursday while shops and government offices remained closed.
Although the Houthis did not immediately formally confirm capturing the city, the group’s Supreme Political Council said fighting along the western coastal districts had ended following what it described as the expulsion of Saudi-backed forces.
Tarek Salah, who leads the pro-government National Resistance Forces, said he had relocated his command centre on Yemen’s western coast to a safe location and acknowledged that his forces had suffered heavy losses during the Houthi offensive.
Houthis say international shipping remains safe
The Houthis sought to reassure the international community that commercial navigation through the Red Sea remained safe, while maintaining their threat against Saudi shipping.
The group said it reserved the right to defend Yemen’s territorial waters but insisted it did not pose a general threat to international maritime traffic.
However, the Houthis reiterated that their embargo targeting Saudi vessels remains in effect.
The distinction is significant because Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on the Red Sea for energy exports following severe disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi Arabia and Houthis exchange attacks
The latest territorial advances come amid an escalating exchange of air strikes, missiles and drones.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said Saudi aircraft carried out 64 strikes across the provinces of Taiz, Hudaydah, Marib and Jawf during a 24-hour period.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition has vowed to respond to Houthi missile and drone attacks targeting the southwestern Saudi cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha and Jazan.
Saudi authorities said dozens of Houthi drones and missiles launched Tuesday injured 73 civilians and sparked fires at several oil facilities, temporarily disrupting operations.
The Houthis said those attacks were retaliation for Saudi air strikes on Houthi-controlled territory, including a strike on a prison in Jawf province that the group said killed at least 23 civilians.
Red Sea route faces growing pressure
Saudi Arabia has backed Yemen’s government against the Houthis during more than a decade of civil war.
An informal ceasefire that had largely held for four years began deteriorating in July after the Houthis announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia and resumed attacks on Saudi airports, energy facilities and tankers.
The capture of Mokha and reported Houthi advances around the Bab al-Mandab Strait significantly raise the strategic stakes.
Control around the narrow waterway could give the Houthis greater leverage over maritime traffic through the southern Red Sea at a time when regional conflict is already disrupting energy supplies and pushing oil prices higher.
