Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have captured Yemen’s port city of Mokha from Saudi-backed government forces, potentially opening up a second theater in the war between the U.S. and Iran.
The capture of Mokha marks the Houthis’ largest territorial gain since a 2022 cease-fire in Yemen that paused major fighting between the group and Yemen’s government. The Houthis also disrupted shipping in 2024 in response to Israel’s occupation and bombardment of Gaza, which prompted the U.S. and U.K. to carry out deadly strikes on Yemen.
The Houthis swept south along the Red Sea coast before taking Mokha on Thursday and subsequently reached the Hanish archipelago, Yemeni government sources told Reuters. A Yemeni commander and a member of the Houthis’ political bureau separately confirmed the Houthi capture of Mokha to the Associated Press.
Government forces retreated south toward Dhubab, which overlooks Bab el-Mandeb. Yemen’s government has reportedly launched airstrikes west of Taiz and warned civilians to avoid roads between Taiz and Mokha. Houthi-owned Al-Masirah TV reported that Saudi-backed forces launched 40 airstrikes on the provinces of Taiz, Jawf, Hodeida, and Marib.
Observers and Yemeni residents fear the escalation could renew an all-out civil war in Yemen. “This renewed war should alarm us all,” Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special envoy for Yemen, said at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Thursday. “It effectively marks the end of the relative calm that Yemen has experienced for over four years since the U.N.-brokered truce.”
Capturing the southwestern port also strengthens the Houthis’ ability to threaten shipping through Bab el-Mandeb, a waterway through which around 12% of global trade normally passes. The strait, which lies between Yemen, Djibouti and Eritrea and links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, has become more important since Iran militarized the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for the U.S. and Israel’s Feb. 28 strikes.
Iran’s involvement
The Houthis reportedly received direct guidance and weapons from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Iran reportedly told the Houthis last week to escalate their attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Iran publicly maintains that the Houthis are “not a proxy.” The country’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday that the conflict in Yemen must be resolved through dialogue instead of military action. It also invoked what it called the “expansionism of the Israeli regime with U.S. complicity.”
Mohammed Abdulsalam, a spokesperson for the Houthis, posted on social media that the group will stop targeting Saudi ships when the “aggression” against Yemen ends.
A Houthi-run body in Yemen that communicates with commercial shipping companies said navigation through Bab el-Mandeb remained safe, except for Saudi vessels.
The advance comes as Tehran has sought new ways to counter Washington’s economic pressure campaign and military attacks. A stronger Houthi position along the Red Sea coast could further constrain global energy supplies, raise shipping and insurance costs, and push up oil prices. Even if the Houthis are acting in their own interest, Iran could gain significant leverage over Washington in conjunction with continued pressure on traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
The capture of Mokha came hours after President Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested that Iran’s government was prolonging the war in an attempt to affect Republican prospects in the U.S. midterm elections in November. He nevertheless insisted Iran is on the verge of collapse and that the war will end “immediately after” the vote.
More shipping disruptions
From Mokha, which lies around 80 km north of Bab el-Mandeb, the Houthis have a stronger position to disrupt shipping, particularly targeting vessels travelling to and from Saudi Arabia, which is the world’s biggest crude exporter and a close U.S. ally.
Saudi Arabia has routed more oil to its Red Sea port of Yanbu after the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. But the Houthis declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia on July 20 and began attacking Saudi shipping and energy infrastructure. Saudi crude exports have fallen to their lowest level in 13 years, with production dropping 23% from July to August. Overall vessel traffic through Bab el-Mandeb fell around 24% in the week following the July blockade.
The kingdom has responded with airstrikes in Yemen’s north and warned Iran to rein in the group. It has supplied its Yemeni allies with arms, intelligence, and logistical assistance. The Saudi government is reportedly reticent to escalate its fight with the Houthis and has so far resisted requests for a broader air campaign in the south of Yemen and along the Red Sea coast.
The advance could also force the U.S. to devote military resources towards protecting a second maritime chokepoint and assisting its ally, potentially complicating efforts to limit or swiftly end U.S. involvement in the Middle East.
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