Houthis Seize Mocha, Tighten Grip on Red Sea Strait — SkimNews
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Houthis captured Mocha on Thursday and Mayyun (Perim) Island on Friday, completing their hold on the Bab al-Mandeb strait — a narrow waterway the source describes as vital to global oil shipping.
- Yemeni government forces launched air attacks on Houthi positions along the Red Sea coast to retake Mocha, while forces that withdrew from the west coast are regrouping in Marib, according to PLC member Sultan al-Arada.
- Saudi Arabia carried out 129 air strikes over 48 hours across the governorates of Taiz, Marib, Hodeidah, al-Jawf, Saada, Amran, and Hajjah using F-15 and Typhoon aircraft from bases in Khamis Mushait and Taif, per Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree.
- Houthis struck the Saudi cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, and Najran on Tuesday, wounding 73 people including women and children, and on Sunday claimed a ballistic missile and drone strike on a military base in Sharurah.
- The United Nations reports nearly 46,000 people have been displaced in Yemen since fighting escalated earlier this week, with more than 2,000 Yemenis arriving in Djibouti in 24 hours and at least 76,000 displaced since July.
- Analyst Mohammed al-Basha attributed the Houthi gains to political infighting within government forces, citing 'a split command and control with eight armies sort of competing over influence,' and predicted a protracted conflict similar to Sudan rather than a quick collapse.
Why it matters: With Mocha and Mayyun captured, the Houthis now control both sides of the Bab al-Mandeb strait — a chokepoint for global oil shipping — giving the Iran-backed group new leverage against Saudi Arabia and its Western partners. Yemeni government forces are fragmented by infighting, the US is unlikely to intervene directly, and 73 Saudis have already been wounded, raising the cost for Riyadh of staying on the sidelines.
Ask SkimNews
