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Houthi fighters in Yemen have seized control of the strategic Red Sea coastal city of Mokha following intensive battles with Saudi-backed pro-government forces, according to military officials and local witnesses. The sudden advance marks a critical shift in the territorial balance along the country's western coastline, placing the Iran-backed movement within striking distance of vital international maritime corridors.
By securing Mokha, the Houthi movement has advanced to within just 75 kilometers (46 miles) of the Bab al-Mandab Strait. This narrow maritime chokepoint serves as the essential southern entrance to the Red Sea, connecting key shipping routes between Asia and European markets. Control over coastal areas in such close proximity to the strait substantially elevates concerns regarding regional commercial transit.
Following the capture of the port, Houthi officials announced that they do not intend to disrupt broader international shipping. However, the group explicitly reiterated its determination to target commercial and energy vessels linked to Saudi Arabia. Riyadh has grown increasingly reliant on Red Sea shipping routes for its petroleum exports after maritime passage through the Gulf's Strait of Hormuz was effectively halted due to the wider war involving the United States and Israel.
The renewed escalation across western Yemen, involving pro-government units, Houthi fighters, and the Saudi-led coalition, has quickly reverberated through global commodity markets, contributing directly to a sharp rise in international oil prices. Analysts and market observers have closely tracked the instability, as threats to both mainland infrastructure and sea lanes continue to mount.
The takeover of Mokha comes amid a broader military campaign launched by Houthi forces in south-western Yemen roughly one week ago. The intensified fighting over the past seven days has resulted in hundreds of reported fatalities and forced thousands of civilians to abandon their homes in search of refuge from active combat zones.
Eyewitnesses in Mokha reported that Houthi units advanced into the urban center on Wednesday night after overpowering pro-government defensive lines during hours of fierce fighting. Local residents described chaotic scenes as families attempted to flee the rapid incursion without prior notice, leaving wounded individuals unattended in the streets as medical and emergency resources collapsed under the sudden assault.
By Thursday, armed Houthi fighters were actively conducting patrols throughout Mokha's neighborhoods. Commercial life in the port city ground to a complete standstill, with public administration offices shuttered and private storefronts locked down as remaining residents stayed indoors, fearful of what the incoming administration might do next.
Large numbers of displaced residents have begun journeying eastward toward the southern port city of Aden. Aden currently serves as the temporary administrative capital for Yemen's internationally recognized government and its Presidential Leadership Council. Families making the journey reported fleeing on foot with their children, leaving behind all possessions after their neighborhoods were caught in the sudden barrage of combat.
Official acknowledgment from Houthi authorities came via the group's Supreme Political Council, which stated through the Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah television network that fighting along the western coastal districts had ended following the removal of forces aligned with Saudi Arabia.
In response to the setback, Tarek Salah, the commander of the pro-government National Resistance Forces, confirmed that his operational headquarters on the western coast had been relocated to a secure position. Salah acknowledged that his troops had suffered heavy casualties during the recent defensive engagements, characterizing the Houthi push as a coordinated offensive heavily planned and backed by Iran.
The territorial losses for pro-government forces extended beyond the mainland. According to a Yemeni military source, Houthi forces also took control of Zuqar Island, an island situated in the Red Sea roughly 80 kilometers northwest of Mokha. The offshore position was reportedly overrun following a combined operation that paired heavy rocket bombardments with an amphibious assault conducted by armed combatants in boats.
In light of these losses, Rashad al-Alimi, the head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, issued an urgent appeal to Arab partner states and the wider international community. Al-Alimi called for immediate support to protect the nation's vulnerable coastlines and help state institutions re-establish control over crucial maritime access points.
Despite these appeals, Houthi authorities maintained their right to enforce their authority over domestic coastal territories. While the Supreme Political Council attempted to reassure foreign maritime operators that non-targeted navigation through the Red Sea remains secure, the Houthi-administered humanitarian operations coordination center firmly maintained that its active embargo against Saudi-flagged and Saudi-bound vessels remains fully in force.
The ground offensive has been accompanied by a surge in cross-border air warfare. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea stated that Saudi-led coalition aircraft carried out 64 separate airstrikes over a 24-hour period, targeting sites across the western and central provinces of Taiz, Hudaydah, Marib, and Jawf.
Coalition officials indicated that their aerial operations were executed in direct response to repeated cross-border drone and ballistic missile salvos fired by the Houthis toward southern Saudi Arabian population centers, including the cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha, and Jazan.
Earlier in the week, a substantial Houthi missile and drone assault on southern Saudi Arabia left 73 civilians injured and ignited blazes at multiple oil facilities, causing temporary suspensions of operations. Houthi leadership defended those attacks as direct retaliation for coalition airstrikes, pointing specifically to a recent bombing that hit a detention center in the Hazm district of Jawf province, which reportedly killed at least 23 civilians.
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