ADEN, Yemen, Sep 10 – Iran-backed Houthi forces have taken control of the Yemeni port city of Mokha, officials and Houthi representatives said Thursday, marking the rebels’ most significant territorial advance since a United Nations-backed truce brought a period of relative calm to the country’s long-running civil war.
The capture of Mokha has raised fresh concerns about the security of commercial shipping through the Red Sea, particularly because of the city’s proximity to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The narrow waterway links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and serves as one of the world’s important maritime corridors.
Mokha lies about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Bab el-Mandeb. Under normal circumstances, roughly 12% of global goods pass through the wider Red Sea shipping route. The waterway has become even more strategically important as maritime traffic through the nearby Strait of Hormuz has been disrupted during the ongoing war involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
The latest Houthi advance could give Tehran and its regional ally another potential source of leverage as tensions with Washington remain high. Analysts say control of territory along Yemen’s western coast could allow the Houthis to increase pressure on shipping companies and governments already struggling to maintain secure commercial routes.
The takeover was confirmed by Ahmed Baash, a commander with the National Resistance Forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government, and Hazam al-Assad, a member of the Houthi political bureau.
Residents described a city under tight Houthi control on Thursday, with armed forces visible across Mokha and many businesses closed. The development has also triggered a new movement of civilians toward areas farther south.
Houthi advance threatens Yemen’s fragile calm
The seizure of Mokha represents a major shift in Yemen’s military landscape. The Houthis have been fighting the internationally recognized government since 2014, when the group expanded from its northern stronghold and captured large parts of northern and central Yemen.
Saudi Arabia entered the conflict the following year in support of the Yemeni government, turning the conflict into a broader regional confrontation. Years of fighting caused extensive destruction and contributed to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
A truce reached in 2022 reduced much of the fighting, although it did not produce a permanent political settlement. The relative calm allowed millions of Yemenis to experience a period without the level of nationwide violence that had characterized earlier years.
The fall of Mokha now threatens that fragile balance.
Residents Amin al-Mohammdi and Mohamed Salem said Houthi vehicles could be seen throughout the city, while roads leading toward Mokha from the west coast had been closed. Markets and shops were also reported to be shut.
Three doctors who had been working at a hospital in Mokha said they fled after Houthi forces took control of the facility. They spoke anonymously because of concerns about their safety. Other residents were also reported to be moving south toward Aden, a city controlled by forces backed by Saudi Arabia.
The Houthi advance has not been limited to Mokha. Ahmed al-Mawazi, a member of the Yemeni armed forces, and Abdel Kader al-Sharabi, who is affiliated with Saudi-backed forces supporting the government, said the rebels had recently captured the al-Shaqira area in Taiz province.
The location is important because it serves as a supply route for government forces operating near southern Hodeida.
Taiz’s mountainous geography also gives the Houthis a potentially valuable position overlooking Yemen’s western coastline. Baraa Shiban, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, said the rebels’ expanding presence could create additional risks for maritime traffic.
Red Sea shipping faces renewed risks
The strategic significance of Mokha extends well beyond Yemen’s borders. The city is situated near one of the world’s most important maritime passages, meaning a sustained Houthi presence could add another layer of uncertainty for shipping companies.
The Houthis have previously demonstrated their ability to threaten commercial vessels in the Red Sea using missiles and drones. Their campaign against shipping began in late 2023 and prompted many international carriers to avoid the route and instead take longer journeys around Africa.
Shipping traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb has fallen by about 60% since the attacks began. That decline has increased transportation costs and lengthened delivery times for companies whose vessels previously relied on the shorter route connecting Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
The situation has become more complicated because of disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway is a critical route for global energy shipments, and the conflict involving Iran has made governments and energy companies increasingly concerned about alternative routes.
Saudi Arabia had sought to reduce its dependence on Hormuz by redirecting some oil shipments through pipelines toward the Red Sea port of Yanbu. However, Lloyd’s List Intelligence reported that renewed Houthi threats had curtailed that activity.
Analysts warn that the Houthis’ new position could potentially give them additional options for pressuring maritime traffic. Shiban said the group could theoretically threaten vessels by laying sea mines, drawing a comparison with actions attributed to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Strait of Hormuz.
Such a development would represent a serious escalation because mines can force commercial vessels to slow down, reroute or temporarily suspend operations even when no ship has actually been attacked.
Farea al-Muslimi, a research fellow at Chatham House who specializes in Yemen and the Gulf, said the capture of Mokha could also strengthen Iran’s position in negotiations with the United States.
The Houthis have their own longstanding grievances against Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s government, but their military activity also intersects with Tehran’s broader confrontation with Washington. By increasing pressure on Saudi Arabia and threatening shipping routes, the rebels could create additional challenges for U.S. allies in the region.
The group had largely remained on the sidelines during the initial stages of the latest Iran war. During the summer, however, Houthi forces stepped up attacks against Yemen’s internationally recognized government and announced a blockade targeting Saudi Arabia, which has supported the government throughout the conflict.
UN warns of a dangerous new phase
The renewed fighting has prompted an urgent international response, with the United Nations warning that Yemen could be moving toward another period of large-scale conflict.
U.N. Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg told the Security Council on Thursday that the renewed war should concern the international community. He said the escalation effectively signals the end of the relative calm Yemen had experienced for more than four years following the U.N.-brokered truce.
Grundberg warned that the consequences of the conflict could extend beyond Yemen’s borders, particularly if the fighting expands and threatens regional stability and international trade.
Yemen’s U.N. Ambassador Abdullah Al-Saadi called for international action against the Houthis and argued that Yemen needs a single state with control over weapons and sovereignty across the country’s territory.
He urged the Security Council to condemn the group’s military escalation and called for measures preventing the supply of weapons, military technology, components and expertise to the Houthis.
Saudi Ambassador to the United Nations Abdulaziz Alwasil said Riyadh continued to support a peaceful political settlement but warned that Saudi Arabia would take measures it considers necessary to deter Houthi attacks.
He cautioned that the kingdom’s support for de-escalation should not be interpreted as an opportunity for the Houthis to expand their attacks or threaten Saudi and regional security.
The United States also warned those supporting the Houthi escalation that they would face responsibility for its consequences. U.S. Minister Counselor Jenifer Neidhart called for stronger enforcement of U.N. sanctions against the group and said cutting off the resources supporting its attacks was necessary.
Meanwhile, Yemeni government forces have begun targeting Houthi reinforcements west of Taiz, according to several Mokha residents. Government military authorities have also urged civilians to avoid roads connecting Taiz and Mokha.
Houthi-controlled Al-Masirah television claimed that Saudi-backed forces had carried out 40 airstrikes across Taiz, Jawf, Hodeida and Marib provinces in recent hours. The claim could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate response from government forces.
The immediate concern is whether the battle for Mokha remains a localized development or becomes the beginning of a wider offensive. For Yemen, another major war could erase years of fragile progress. For the region, the consequences could reach much farther, particularly if renewed fighting turns Yemen’s western coastline into another flashpoint threatening one of the world’s busiest shipping corridors.