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Houthi fighters in Yemen have seized control of the vital Red Sea port city of Mokha following intensive battles against Saudi-backed pro-government forces. The rapid advance represents a significant territorial shift in the country's southwestern theater, placing the Iran-backed movement merely 75 kilometers (46 miles) from the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The proximity of Houthi units to the Bab al-Mandab Strait has raised immediate concerns across global shipping channels. As the critical southern entrance connecting the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal, the waterway handles a substantial portion of international trade between Asia and Europe. While Houthi leadership maintained that broad commercial navigation faces no disruption, the group reiterated its active embargo against Saudi Arabian vessels.
The renewed focus on Red Sea transit comes as Saudi Arabia increasingly relies on western maritime routes for crude exports. That operational shift followed the effective closure of the Gulf's Strait of Hormuz amid the broader conflict involving the United States and Israel. The heightened fighting around Yemen's western coast and cross-border exchanges has applied fresh upward pressure on global energy markets, contributing to a sharp rise in oil prices.
The capture of Mokha caps a week of intense combat across southwestern Yemen, where a large-scale Houthi offensive has caused widespread upheaval. Humanitarian conditions in the surrounding regions have deteriorated sharply, with hundreds of individuals reported dead and thousands more forced to abandon their communities as frontlines shifted rapidly toward the coastline.
Inside Mokha, local residents reported that pro-government positions collapsed late Wednesday night following a heavy push by Houthi combatants. Witnesses described chaotic scenes as families attempted to escape amidst active fighting, noting that the offensive began abruptly and left wounded persons stranded in the streets without immediate access to medical assistance.
By Thursday morning, armed fighters from Ansar Allah, the formal title of the Houthi movement, were observed conducting patrols throughout the port city. Administrative offices and local commercial establishments remained closed as residents stayed indoors amid deep uncertainty over security and the immediate policies of the incoming administration.
Displaced civilians have fled eastward toward Aden, the southern coastal hub serving as the headquarters for Yemen's internationally recognized government and the Presidential Leadership Council. Fleeing residents reported leaving behind their belongings, homes, and essential provisions with virtually no advance warning as clashes breached residential quarters.
Houthi authorities later broadcast statements via Al Masirah television indicating that combat operations in the western coastal sectors had concluded. The group's Supreme Political Council declared that pro-government units, described as Saudi-aligned mobilizations, had been expelled from the district, signaling consolidated control over the urban center and its immediate perimeter.
The retreat was acknowledged by pro-government commanders, including Tarek Salah, who heads the National Resistance Forces along the western front. Salah confirmed that his operational command center had been relocated to an alternate secure position after his troops absorbed substantial losses during days of heavy fighting against what he characterized as an Iranian-coordinated campaign.
Beyond the seizure of the mainland port, military sources reported that Houthi units simultaneously captured Zuqar Island, situated roughly 80 kilometers northwest of Mokha in the Red Sea. The amphibious operation reportedly involved sustained rocket barrages followed by boat-borne ground assaults against defensive outposts on the island.
In response to the territorial losses, Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, issued an urgent appeal to regional Arab partners and the wider international community. Al-Alimi called for targeted assistance to protect Yemen's maritime borders, defend vital coastal infrastructure, and assist state authorities in restoring control over lost positions.
Houthi political officials reaffirmed what they described as their legitimate right to exercise control over Yemen's sovereign territory and coastal boundaries. The movement's humanitarian coordination bodies reiterated that commercial shipping at large remains unimpeded, while confirming that specific maritime restrictions against Saudi-linked tankers and cargo carriers will continue to be enforced.
The ground campaign has been accompanied by a significant escalation in aerial warfare across western and central Yemen. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea reported that aircraft from the Saudi-led coalition executed 64 airstrikes over a 24-hour window, heavily targeting positions across the provinces of Taiz, Hudaydah, Marib, and Jawf in an effort to stall further rebel advances.
The coalition confirmed that its air operations were conducted in direct response to repeated cross-border missile and drone strikes targeting southern Saudi population centers, including Khamis Mushait, Abha, and Jazan. Days earlier, a substantial Houthi aerial barrage into southern Saudi Arabia wounded 73 civilians and sparked blazes at key energy installations, forcing temporary operational halts.
Houthi officials maintained that their deep cross-border strikes were launched in direct retaliation for ongoing coalition bombing raids across northern and western Yemen. Among the cited incidents was a coalition airstrike earlier in the week on a detention facility in the town of Hazm, located in Jawf province, which local authorities said resulted in the deaths of at least 23 civilians.
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