Houthi forces capture Yemen's Mokha port, raising Red Sea shipping concerns

The Iran-aligned Houthi movement took control of Mokha, a Yemeni port about 80 km (50 miles) from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, on Thursday, officials from the rebels and Yemen's internationally recognised government said. The capture marks the group’s largest territorial gain since a 2022 truce that had limited fighting in the decade-long civil war.

Local residents reported Houthi vehicles patrolling the city, markets closed and roads to the west coast blocked. Several doctors fled a hospital after it was seized, and many civilians are moving south toward Aden, which remains under Saudi-backed control.

Analysts note that Mokha’s proximity to the Bab el-Mandeb, a chokepoint through which roughly 12% of global trade passes, could allow the Houthis to disrupt shipping further, potentially by laying mines as Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has done in the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping activity through the strait has already fallen about 60% since Houthi attacks began in late 2023.

At an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting, UN special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said the development ends a period of relative calm and urged the international community to address the “new and more dangerous phase.” Yemeni UN ambassador Abdullah Al-Saadi called for a unified Yemeni state and for sanctions on arms supplies to the rebels. Saudi and US officials also warned of the need to deter further Houthi attacks and to enforce existing sanctions.

The Yemeni government has responded with airstrikes targeting Houthi reinforcements west of Taiz and has advised civilians to avoid roads between Taiz and Mokha. Houthi-controlled Al-Masirah TV claimed Saudi-backed forces carried out dozens of airstrikes in several provinces, a claim that could not be independently verified.