Houthis seize Yemen's Mocha port, threatening blockade of key strait
Photo: Yemeni Houthi militants (Getty Images)
Yemeni Houthi rebels have seized the port of Mocha, giving them a path toward controlling the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The waterway serves as the southern gateway to the Red Sea and is one of the key routes for transporting oil, according to Reuters.
Houthis seize Mocha
On September 10, Iran-aligned Houthi militants seized control of the port city of Mocha in Yemen, military sources told Reuters.
This creates an additional threat to global energy supplies.
Notably, just hours earlier, US President Donald Trump said he expected the war with Iran to end after the midterm elections.
Four military sources in the Yemeni government said the Houthis had gained "further leverage over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait" — the southern gateway to the Red Sea and one of the world’s most important shipping routes.
The Houthis have also begun attacks on the strategically important islands of Hanish.
Other Houthi attacks
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s civil defense authorities declared a state of emergency in the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait for the fourth time in 24 hours following a Houthi attack.
According to military sources, Yemeni government forces and their allies are moving south along the Red Sea coast to Dhubab. The town lies directly on the strait, opposite Perim Island.
Control of Dhubab and the island is key to seizing control of the strait, they said.
Bab el-Mandeb Strait
The Bab el-Mandeb, or Gate of Tears, is named for the dangerous navigation conditions there. It lies between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti and Eritrea on the African coast.
The strait is a major prize for the Houthis, who control Yemen’s most populated areas and much of the north.
Bab el-Mandeb is one of the world’s most important routes for transporting crude oil and fuel from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal or the Suez-Mediterranean pipeline on Egypt’s Red Sea coast. It also carries goods bound for Asia, including Russian oil.
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that in July, the Houthis considered imposing fees on commercial vessels sailing through the southern Red Sea.
It was also reported that US President Donald Trump raised the issue of freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. He promised action if the Houthis block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
