Houthis Seize Mokha as Red Sea Shipping Faces New Threat

Published: 11 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement has seized the strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha, dramatically expanding its control along the country’s western coastline and bringing the group closer to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.

The capture of Mokha, also spelled Mocha, represents one of the Houthis’ most significant territorial advances since the fragile truce that largely halted Yemen’s devastating civil war in 2022. The development has raised fears that the conflict could once again expand into a full-scale war while simultaneously creating a new threat to international shipping and global energy supplies.

Mokha lies roughly 80km from the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the narrow maritime gateway connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean. The waterway provides a crucial route for vessels travelling between Asia and Europe, particularly those using the Suez Canal. Reuters has described the strait as one of the world’s most important shipping routes, while AP estimates that around 12% of global trade normally passes through the wider corridor.

The significance of the Houthi advance has become even greater because disruption around the Strait of Hormuz has made the Red Sea an increasingly important alternative route for energy shipments. Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, has relied more heavily on its Red Sea infrastructure as the conflict involving Iran has severely disrupted traffic through Hormuz.

The Houthis have sought to reassure international shipping companies that they do not intend to attack vessels indiscriminately. Their Humanitarian Operations Coordination Centre said navigation in the Red Sea remained safe for international shipping, while maintaining a ban on Saudi vessels. Houthi officials have nevertheless repeatedly threatened Saudi shipping and infrastructure, creating considerable uncertainty for commercial operators.

The seizure of Mokha followed several days of intense fighting between Houthi forces and Saudi-backed pro-government units. Witnesses reported seeing Houthi fighters enter the city after fierce clashes, while government-aligned forces withdrew towards positions farther south.

Tarek Saleh, a senior commander of the National Resistance Forces, said his forces had moved their west-coast command centre to a safer location after suffering heavy losses. His comments reflected the extent of the Houthi advance and the pressure now facing forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government.

The Houthis did not immediately issue a direct announcement declaring the capture of Mokha, but their Supreme Political Council said fighting in western coastal districts had ended following what it described as the removal of Saudi-backed forces. Independent witnesses and government sources subsequently confirmed the group’s presence in the city.

For Mokha’s residents, the strategic significance of the port matters far less than the immediate consequences of another round of fighting.

Residents described scenes of panic as Houthi fighters entered the city. Shops and government offices were reported closed, while families fled their homes carrying whatever possessions they could manage. Many displaced civilians have been heading east towards Aden, where Yemen’s internationally recognised government is based.

The renewed displacement adds another layer to a humanitarian crisis that has already endured for more than a decade. Yemen’s war has devastated infrastructure, weakened public services and left millions dependent on humanitarian assistance. Any prolonged escalation around the western coast risks producing another wave of displacement at a time when the country’s humanitarian needs remain acute.

The latest offensive also demonstrates the changing military geography of the conflict.

The Houthis already control large areas of northern and western Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, and the major Red Sea port of Hodeidah. By taking Mokha and moving towards the Bab al-Mandeb, the group is seeking greater influence over a coastline that has strategic value far beyond Yemen’s borders.

Reuters reported that Houthi forces had also advanced towards the Hanish islands in the Red Sea. The group is seeking positions that could eventually strengthen its ability to threaten maritime traffic, although controlling the Bab al-Mandeb itself would require further advances around Dhubab and the strategically important Perim island.

Iran’s role is another central issue.

The Houthis are closely aligned with Tehran and have received Iranian support over many years. Reuters reported that Iranian weapons and military advice played a role in the latest offensive, with regional sources saying Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel helped coordinate the campaign. Iran has denied directly controlling the Houthis, however, leaving the precise extent of Tehran’s operational influence disputed.

The capture of Mokha has therefore become part of a much larger regional confrontation involving Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Saudi Arabia has supported Yemen’s internationally recognised government since intervening militarily in the conflict in 2015. The Saudi-led intervention was launched after the Houthis captured Sanaa and forced government forces from much of the north.

After years of intense fighting, a UN-brokered truce in 2022 dramatically reduced the level of violence. It never produced a comprehensive political settlement, however. The latest fighting demonstrates how quickly the underlying conflict can return when the political process fails to resolve the competing claims of Yemen’s factions.

Saudi Arabia has responded to the renewed Houthi offensive with air strikes against areas controlled by the group. Houthi officials have claimed that dozens of Saudi attacks have hit western and northern Yemen, while Saudi authorities have accused the Houthis of attacking civilian and economic targets inside the kingdom.

The escalation has already crossed Yemen’s borders.

The Houthis have launched missiles and drones towards southern Saudi Arabia, including attacks affecting cities such as Khamis Mushait, Abha and Jazan. Saudi authorities said recent Houthi attacks wounded 73 people and caused fires at several economic and energy facilities. The Houthis described their attacks as retaliation for Saudi military action in Yemen.

That cycle of attack and retaliation is now feeding directly into concerns about global energy markets.

Oil prices have risen sharply amid the combined disruption around the Strait of Hormuz and the growing threat around the Red Sea. Brent crude moved above $100 a barrel as traders assessed the possibility that another major maritime corridor could become increasingly dangerous. The financial consequences could extend well beyond the Middle East if shipping companies are forced to reroute vessels around Africa or if energy exports are delayed.

For European and Asian economies, the Bab al-Mandeb is particularly important because vessels travelling through the Red Sea can reach the Suez Canal rather than taking the considerably longer route around the Cape of Good Hope.

The Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping in previous years demonstrated how quickly insecurity in the waterway can affect international commerce. Major shipping companies diverted vessels away from the Red Sea, increasing journey times, fuel consumption and freight costs.

The latest territorial advance therefore carries a different significance from a conventional battlefield victory. By moving closer to the Bab al-Mandeb, the Houthis have acquired a position that could potentially give them greater leverage over an international trade route even if they do not physically close the strait.

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg has warned that the situation represents a dangerous new phase for the country. The international community faces the difficult task of preventing the latest fighting from destroying what remains of the fragile political framework established after the 2022 truce.

Yemen’s internationally recognised Presidential Leadership Council has appealed to Arab states and other countries for assistance in protecting the country’s coastline and restoring government control.

But the military balance is now uncertain.

The Houthis have demonstrated the ability to combine ground offensives with missiles, drones and maritime operations. Their latest gains also expose divisions and weaknesses among the forces opposing them. At the same time, Saudi Arabia must decide how far it is prepared to escalate its military involvement without reigniting the kind of prolonged war that previously caused enormous humanitarian and financial costs.

For civilians in Mokha and surrounding communities, those strategic calculations offer little immediate comfort.

Families are once again fleeing their homes. Businesses have closed. Government services have been disrupted. And the possibility of further fighting is creating uncertainty along a coastline that is now becoming one of the most closely watched areas of the wider Middle Eastern conflict.

The seizure of Mokha does not mean the Houthis have taken control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. They remain some distance from the positions that would give them direct control over the waterway. But their advance has placed the group closer to a strategic objective with consequences far beyond Yemen.

The coming days will therefore be critical. If Houthi forces consolidate their gains and continue south towards Dhubab and Perim, pressure on Saudi Arabia and international shipping could increase significantly. If the government-backed forces succeed in slowing the advance, the latest offensive could remain a limited territorial battle rather than becoming a broader regional confrontation.

For now, however, the fall of Mokha has changed the strategic map of Yemen.

A conflict that once appeared to be moving towards a fragile political accommodation has once again become intertwined with the security of global trade, oil supplies and the wider confrontation between Iran and its regional opponents.

The port city of Mokha may be only one point on Yemen’s long and troubled coastline, but its capture has placed the world’s attention firmly on the narrow waters beyond it — and on the growing possibility that the next major battle could be fought over access to one of the world’s most vital shipping routes.

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