Houthis seize Mocha, close in on Bab el-Mandeb

Shafaq News- Sanaa

Yemen’s Houthis (Ansarallah) seized the Red Sea port city of Mocha on Thursday, pushing Saudi-backed government forces farther south toward Dhubab and bringing the group closer to the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, four Yemeni government military sources told Reuters.

The Houthis are also attacking the Hanish islands, while government forces and their allies are repositioning south toward Dhubab. The town sits directly on the strait across from Perim Island, with control of both considered important to securing the waterway.

Fighting in western Yemen has intensified in recent days, with more than 140 combatants killed between Saturday afternoon and early Sunday, according to military sources cited by AFP, as Houthi and government forces battled for territory along routes toward the Red Sea coast.

Bab el-Mandeb connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and forms part of a major maritime route linking Asia and the Gulf with Europe through the Suez Canal, carrying crude oil, fuel and other cargo.