Houthis Seize Yemen’s Mokha Port, Tightening Hold on Bab al-Mandab

The Iran‑backed Houthi movement has taken control of Mokha, a strategic Red Sea port in Yemen’s southwest, after a swift offensive that brings them within 75 km of the Bab al‑Mandab strait. The capture follows weeks of fighting along the west coast, amid an escalation of Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia.

Yemeni military sources say the takeover could allow the Houthis to exert greater influence over the crucial shipping lane that links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. It also comes after Houthi‑driven drone and missile strikes on southern Saudi cities and oil facilities, which have temporarily halted operations and injured 73 civilians.

The offensive has already caused hundreds of deaths and displaced thousands of civilians, as the conflict, which has been ongoing for more than a decade, spirals into a broader regional crisis. The Saudi-led coalition has responded with artillery strikes on Houthi positions, and the ongoing standoff is intensifying fears of a wider Middle Eastern conflict that could disrupt global shipping lanes and inflate oil prices.