Houthis capture Red Sea port of Mokha, moving within 75 km of Bab al-Mandab

Yemen's Houthi movement took control of the Red Sea port of Mokha on Thursday, according to military sources and eyewitnesses. The city’s fall places the group about 75 km (46 miles) from the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key maritime corridor linking Asia and Europe.

The Houthis said they do not intend to threaten international shipping but reiterated that they will target Saudi vessels, noting Saudi Arabia’s reliance on Red Sea routes after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The ongoing conflict between the Houthis, Yemen’s internationally recognised government and the Saudi-led coalition has contributed to higher oil prices.

Local residents reported that Houthi fighters entered Mokha after intense clashes on Wednesday night, prompting many families to flee. One resident described the sudden takeover and the resulting panic, while another said Houthi patrols were present on Thursday and government offices and shops remained closed. Displaced families are moving east toward Aden, where the Presidential Leadership Council is based.

The Houthis have not issued an immediate confirmation of the capture, but their Supreme Political Council released a statement saying clashes had ended after the “expulsion of Saudi enemy mobilisations.” Pro-government National Resistance Forces leader Tarek Salah said his command centre had been relocated to a safer location and that his forces had suffered significant losses.

A Yemeni military source told AFP that Houthi forces also seized Zuqar Island in the Red Sea, about 80 km north-west of Mokha, after a rocket barrage and a boat-borne ground assault. The head of the Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, called on Arab states and other countries to help protect Yemen’s coasts and restore state authority.

The Houthi Supreme Political Council affirmed its “right to defend Yemen’s sovereignty and territorial waters” while assuring the international community that navigation in the Red Sea remains safe. Their humanitarian coordination centre reiterated that an embargo on Saudi ships remains in effect.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea reported that Saudi warplanes conducted 64 strikes across the western provinces of Taiz, Hudaydah, Marib and Jawf in the previous 24 hours. The Saudi-led coalition has not commented, but a coalition spokesperson said it would respond to recent Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi cities in the southwest.

Earlier in the week, the Houthis launched dozens of drones and missiles at southern Saudi Arabia, injuring civilians and causing temporary shutdowns at several oil facilities, according to Saudi authorities. The group said the attacks were retaliation for recent Saudi air strikes on Houthi-controlled areas, including a strike on a prison in Jawf province that they claimed killed at least 23 civilians.