Houthis Seize Strategic Yemeni Port of Mocha and Expand Red Sea Control

Military Advance and Government Withdrawal in Mocha

The offensive unfolded quickly on Thursday as Houthi fighters pushed through the western coast of Yemen. Yemeni government forces attempted to reinforce their positions, but the overwhelming military pressure forced them to relinquish both the port and the city itself, according to reporting cited by Al Jazeera. Following the loss, the deputy head of Yemen’s internationally recognized Presidential Leadership Council directed government forces on the western coast to regroup. Council member Tariq Saleh described the retreat as a tactical withdrawal intended to reorganise forces. Meanwhile, field commanders in Taiz and along the western coast pledged that government forces would attempt to return to Mocha and retake the city, with Houthi forces simultaneously advancing south toward Dhubab, as reported by Al Jazeera correspondent Yasser Hassan.

Implications for Global Trade and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait

Council head Rashad al-Alimi stated that developments around Mocha port and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait are a regional and international matter tied to global trade rather than a purely Yemeni affair. Al-Alimi called on the international community to intervene to end the Houthi takeover, warning that the Bab al-Mandeb Strait cannot become another Strait of Hormuz and that Yemen cannot become another Iran. Separately, Yemen’s Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zouba sent a message to the United Nations Security Council requesting a firm international stance on the situation along Yemen’s western coast. Rajeh Badi, Yemen’s ambassador to Qatar, accused Iran of reigniting the war after a roughly five-year lull and using the Houthis to tighten its grip on Red Sea shipping lanes. Badi described the group as one of Iran’s key regional arms, alongside Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Popular Mobilisation Forces in Iraq.

Strategic Analysis of the Red Sea Coast Control

Defence analyst Wolfgang Pusztai noted that seizing Mocha represents a significant blow against the government because it positions the Houthis to cut off the road leading to Taiz. Pusztai explained to Al Jazeera that the development allows the group to control virtually all of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Pusztai pointed out that the Bab al-Mandeb Strait measures about 29 kilometers across at its narrowest point, compared with roughly 34 kilometers for the Strait of Hormuz. Because of this narrower width, Pusztai stated that the Houthis could control shipping using artillery alone without needing missiles or drones, posing a major threat to international shipping and Saudi Arabian trade routes. Abdulaziz Alghashian, a Saudi foreign policy analyst, described the rapid advance as concerning and disappointing, though perhaps not entirely surprising. Alghashian told Al Jazeera that the Houthi gains were likely enabled less by Houthi military strength and more by the discombobulation of anti-Houthi forces. He added that Saudi Arabia will likely pursue a tit-for-tat response to avoid getting drawn into a prolonged military campaign.