Yemen’s Houthis seize strategic Red Sea port of Mokha
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Yemen’s Houthis capture Mokha, advancing towards vital trade route
Image source:
AL MASIRAH/Handout via REUTERS
Image caption:
Footage from Houthi-run Al Masirah TV purportedly showed Houthi fighters in Mokha
By David Gritten
Published 10 September 2026
Yemen’s Houthis have seized control of the strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha, military sources and witnesses confirm.
The capture brings the Iran-backed Houthis just 46 miles (75km) from the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital trade route connecting Asia and Europe.
In a statement, the Houthis assured that their presence would not pose a threat to international shipping but repeated their threat to target vessels from Saudi Arabia, which has relied on the Red Sea for oil exports since the US and Israel’s conflict closed the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf.
The escalating conflict between the Houthis, Yemen’s government, and Saudi Arabia has contributed to rising global oil prices.
Hundreds are reported killed and thousands displaced since the Houthis launched an offensive in south-western Yemen a week ago.
A Saudi-led coalition has conducted air strikes on Houthi-controlled areas in western Yemen, while the Houthis have launched missiles and drones at cities and oil facilities in southern Saudi Arabia.
Mokha residents describe fierce clashes on Wednesday night, leading to many families fleeing their homes. One man recounted:
"The takeover came without warning. Panic spread throughout the area, forcing people to flee amid distressing scenes of injured people lying in the streets with no-one there to help them."
Another resident stated that Houthi fighters were patrolling the city’s streets on Thursday while government offices and shops remained closed.
Many displaced families are heading east towards Aden, where Yemen’s internationally recognised Presidential Leadership Council and government are based. A woman expressed her fear:
"We fled with our children and kept running. We have no bedding, no home, nothing with us. Everything was destroyed within an hour. They didn’t even give us a chance or warn us beforehand."
Confirmation of Mokha’s capture from the Houthis is initially lacking. However, the group’s Supreme Political Council stated on Thursday that clashes had ceased in western coastal districts after expelling Saudi enemy mobilisations, according to Houthi-run Al Masirah TV.
Tarek Salah, leader of the pro-government National Resistance Forces, acknowledged the defeat and relocated his command centre on the west coast to a "safe location". He attributed the loss to an "Houthi offensive planned and supported by Iran".
A Yemeni military source informed AFP that Houthi fighters also seized Zuqar Island in the Red Sea, approximately 80km northwest of Mokha, through a combination of rocket attacks and a ground assault using boats.
Meanwhile, Rashad al-Alimi, head of the Presidential Leadership Council, urged Arab states and other countries to assist in safeguarding Yemen’s coasts and restoring state control.
