Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis seized control of the historic port city of Mocha on Thursday, according to four Yemeni government military sources, gaining further leverage over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s most important shipping routes. Government forces and their allies are relocating south to Dhubab, which sits directly on the strait across from the island of Perim, with control of that town and the island seen as key to holding the chokepoint. The Houthis were also reported to be launching attacks on the strategic Red Sea islands of Hanish as they seek to control the entirety of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline.
The advance marks a sharp escalation in a second theater of conflict tied to the broader Iran confrontation, coming after a UN-brokered truce in 2022 had largely halted years of fighting between the Houthis and Yemen’s internationally recognized government. Analysts warned that Bab el-Mandeb, at roughly 20 kilometers wide, is far narrower than the Strait of Hormuz and could be threatened with artillery alone, without missiles or drones. A Houthi-run coordination center said commercial vessels could still transit the Red Sea safely, with the exception of Saudi-flagged ships, but the capture raises fresh concerns for Gulf oil producers and international carriers who have increasingly relied on the route since renewed disruption at Hormuz.
Source: South China Morning Post / Reuters — https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3367067/yemens-houthis-seize-port-city-mocha-closing-control-bab-el-mandeb-strait
Tags: Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb, Houthis, Yemen
