Yemen’s Houthis reportedly seize strategic Red Sea port of Mokha

Yemen's Houthi rebels have reportedly taken control of the strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha from Saudi-backed forces, according to military sources. This move brings the Iran-backed group closer to gaining control over the Bab al-Mandab strait, a crucial shipping route located 75km (46 miles) south of Mokha that links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

Since the Houthi offensive in the southwestern coastal region began a week ago, hundreds have been killed and thousands displaced. Simultaneously, tensions have escalated between the Houthis and neighboring Saudi Arabia, contributing to a spike in global oil prices. On Tuesday, the Houthis launched a barrage of drones and missiles at southern Saudi Arabia, resulting in 73 civilian injuries and fires at several oil facilities, causing a temporary shutdown of operations.

The Saudi authorities attributed the attacks to retaliation for recent Saudi air strikes on Houthi territory in northwestern Yemen, including a strike on a prison in Hazm town that reportedly killed at least 23 civilians. The four-year-old informal ceasefire in Yemen's civil war began to collapse in July when the Houthis announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia and initiated missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities, and tankers in the Red Sea, claiming they were in response to a Saudi blockade of ports and airports in their territory and an air strike on Sanaa airport they blamed on the kingdom.

The Red Sea has become vital for Saudi Arabia's oil exports since the US and Israel's war with Iran began, leading to the near closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf.