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Houthis Seize Key Yemen Port, Threaten Vital Red Sea Route
(MENAFN) Houthi forces have pushed all the way to the strategic port of Mocha near the Bab al-Mandab Strait on the Red Sea, Yemeni media reported Thursday, after the group seized the Hays and Al-Khawkhah districts in southern Al-Hudaydah province.
The privately owned Al-Masdar Online website reported that Houthi fighters had taken full control of Hays and Al-Khawkhah, along with large sections of several districts in western Taiz province.
Hays ranks among the most critical front lines in the fight for Yemen's western coast, given its strategic position linking Al-Hudaydah's southern districts to supply routes feeding into Mocha and Bab al-Mandab.
According to the website, Houthi forces advanced into Mocha port in Taiz province after government troops pulled back south toward Lahej province. Government forces have not yet commented publicly on the reports.
Mocha's military value stems from its proximity to Bab al-Mandab, a critical global shipping lane connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden that vessels rely on to reach and leave the Suez Canal.
An Anadolu correspondent reported that the Houthis appear to be squeezing supply lines and roadways linking Taiz and Al-Hudaydah provinces, a tactic aimed at pushing toward the coast and cutting off Mocha.
Earlier Thursday, the government-aligned National Resistance Forces announced they had set up a command center south of Mocha in response to Houthi gains on multiple western fronts.
The government's media office in Al-Hudaydah said in a statement that military units stationed on the Hays front in southern Al-Hudaydah and in western Taiz were being reorganized.
Meanwhile, activists shared images on social media that they said depicted Houthi fighters after seizing the Hays and Al-Khawkhah districts.
Should the Houthi takeover of those two districts — previously held by National Resistance Forces — be confirmed, it would give the group complete control of Al-Hudaydah province, a correspondent reported.
The advances come amid the most extensive escalation Yemen has seen since 2022, when a UN-sponsored truce took effect before the peace process broke down and fighting resumed in July.
Yemen has remained locked in conflict since the Houthis captured the capital, Sanaa, and several other provinces in September 2014, a takeover that prompted a Saudi-led Arab coalition to intervene militarily in March 2015 on behalf of the internationally recognized government.
The privately owned Al-Masdar Online website reported that Houthi fighters had taken full control of Hays and Al-Khawkhah, along with large sections of several districts in western Taiz province.
Hays ranks among the most critical front lines in the fight for Yemen's western coast, given its strategic position linking Al-Hudaydah's southern districts to supply routes feeding into Mocha and Bab al-Mandab.
According to the website, Houthi forces advanced into Mocha port in Taiz province after government troops pulled back south toward Lahej province. Government forces have not yet commented publicly on the reports.
Mocha's military value stems from its proximity to Bab al-Mandab, a critical global shipping lane connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden that vessels rely on to reach and leave the Suez Canal.
An Anadolu correspondent reported that the Houthis appear to be squeezing supply lines and roadways linking Taiz and Al-Hudaydah provinces, a tactic aimed at pushing toward the coast and cutting off Mocha.
Earlier Thursday, the government-aligned National Resistance Forces announced they had set up a command center south of Mocha in response to Houthi gains on multiple western fronts.
The government's media office in Al-Hudaydah said in a statement that military units stationed on the Hays front in southern Al-Hudaydah and in western Taiz were being reorganized.
Meanwhile, activists shared images on social media that they said depicted Houthi fighters after seizing the Hays and Al-Khawkhah districts.
Should the Houthi takeover of those two districts — previously held by National Resistance Forces — be confirmed, it would give the group complete control of Al-Hudaydah province, a correspondent reported.
The advances come amid the most extensive escalation Yemen has seen since 2022, when a UN-sponsored truce took effect before the peace process broke down and fighting resumed in July.
Yemen has remained locked in conflict since the Houthis captured the capital, Sanaa, and several other provinces in September 2014, a takeover that prompted a Saudi-led Arab coalition to intervene militarily in March 2015 on behalf of the internationally recognized government.
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