Houthis Seize Yemen's Mocha Port, Threatening Bab al-Mandab Strait

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militants seized control of the strategic Red Sea port city of Mocha on Thursday, expanding their leverage over the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital global shipping route.

Four Yemeni government military sources confirmed the takeover, stating that Houthi forces were also launching attacks on the strategic Hanish Islands. The Houthis advanced on Mocha after pushing west of Taiz in recent days, with government forces withdrawing from the city. The Houthis have also reportedly consulted with Tehran on imposing a safe passage toll through the strait.

The Yemeni government has warned of Houthi plans to control the waterway, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. The National Resistance Front, a coalition of anti-Houthi forces, stated that a force commander led a military contingent into Mocha and that reorganization of defenses was underway, reporting clashes with Houthi naval forces.

Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam stated that navigation and international trade in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb remained safe and regular, characterizing Houthi operations as defensive and limited to previously announced targets, which would end once attacks on Yemen stopped and a blockade was lifted. The escalation in fighting creates a second theater of war in the Iran conflict, threatening global energy supplies, with Brent crude prices hovering above $100 a barrel.