The Iran-backed Houthi group seized the city of Mokha and its Red Sea port on Thursday, September 10, following advances across large areas of Yemen’s western coast, in a military shift that brings it closer to the Bab al-Mandab Strait and could give Tehran additional leverage in its confrontation with the United States and its regional allies.
Bab al-Mandab connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and forms the southern gateway to the maritime route linking Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal. The approach of an armed group allied with Iran to its entrances therefore carries implications that extend beyond Yemen’s war to the security of trade, energy supplies, and American interests in the region.
The Houthis, who have controlled the capital, Sanaa, since 2014, are fighting Yemen’s internationally recognized government and its allied forces, which are backed by Saudi Arabia.
Their latest gains follow years of relative calm on the front lines after the UN-brokered truce in 2022, before fighting resumed and expanded in recent months.
Government forces say they have repositioned south of Mokha and announced that they were targeting Houthi movements in and around the city and along the road linking it to Taiz.
Iran’s potential gains lie in its ally’s proximity to another maritime passage, alongside its own ability to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Gulf.
From a strategic perspective, this development could broaden pressure on Washington and its partners by increasing the risks facing shipping on both sides of the Arabian Peninsula.
This is particularly significant for Saudi Arabia, which uses its Red Sea ports to export oil without passing through Hormuz. Shipments leaving these ports southward toward Asia must pass through Bab al-Mandab, making threats to the strait a source of pressure on one of the kingdom’s alternative export routes.
Disrupting shipping does not require closing the strait entirely. Attacks, or a heightened risk of them, could prompt companies to reroute their vessels around Africa, lengthening voyages and raising shipping costs. The region has already seen vessels diverted away from the Red Sea in response to threats and military escalation.
For the United States, these possibilities bring freedom of navigation, the security of allies, and supply chain stability into the implications of the battle.
Expanding threats could allow Tehran to raise the cost of confrontation for its adversaries, but this does not automatically mean it controls the strait or exercises full control over Houthi decisions. The scale of Iran’s gains will depend on the group’s ability to consolidate its positions, the course of the fighting, and the nature of the regional and international response.
On the ground, the capture of Mokha followed rapidly escalating fighting since the beginning of September, culminating on Wednesday evening in the Houthis’ seizure of Hays and Al-Khawkhah in southern Hodeidah province, followed by Khalid Camp and the Mokha junction in western Taiz province. The advance later extended to Jabal al-Nar Camp, the headquarters of military forces on the western coast, before reaching the city and its port.
The withdrawal of government forces from these positions under the pressure of attacks and intense bombardment opened routes for the Houthis between southern Hodeidah and western Taiz, increasing pressure on forces defending the areas leading to Bab al-Mandab.
In response to these developments, Tareq Saleh, a member of the Presidential Leadership Council and commander of the National Resistance, one of the most prominent anti-Houthi forces on the western coast, ordered units to reorganize and establish an alternative command center in consultation with Yemen’s leadership and the Saudi-led coalition.
Saleh said the forces involved in repelling the offensive had suffered losses, accusing Iran of planning the attack. While Tehran denies directing the Houthis militarily, these accusations reflect the connection between the local battle and the broader regional confrontation.
By Thursday evening, the Yemeni army had announced its intention to use various weapons to target Houthi movements in and around Mokha. It warned civilians against using the road linking Taiz and Mokha until further notice, without specifying the duration of the operation or announcing its results.
Fighting continued in western Taiz and the north of neighboring Lahj province, where government forces and tribal groups confronted Houthi attempts to advance toward the highlands surrounding the land approaches to Bab al-Mandab. These positions are important for protecting roads leading to the strait and preventing the group from expanding its control southward.
Meanwhile, the Houthis’ political council announced that clashes had stopped in the western coastal districts following what it described as the removal of forces loyal to Saudi Arabia. The announcement came as government forces were threatening to target the group’s movements, with the situation on the ground remaining fluid.
On the political front, Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi warned against treating the change in the military situation near Bab al-Mandab as an internal Yemeni matter. Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zouba also held calls and meetings with Western representatives, stressing the need to support the government’s ability to protect its coasts, ports, and territorial waters.
Before the Security Council, UN envoy Hans Grundberg confirmed that the Houthis had taken control of Mokha, warning that Yemen was entering a more dangerous phase whose repercussions could extend beyond its borders. He called for the protection of civilians, keeping communication channels open, and preserving the path toward a political settlement.
The military shifts have been accompanied by growing displacement and worsening humanitarian needs. Grundberg noted that more than 11,400 families had been displaced across Yemen since September 3, mostly in Taiz and southern Hodeidah, a figure encompassing the various areas affected by the escalation.
In Mokha, the United Nations announced that the Houthis had seized eight vehicles from its humanitarian hub on Thursday morning, warning of the impact on aid delivery.
Obstructing humanitarian work adds to the pressure on residents at a time when fighting and disrupted roads are displacing more families and making access to food, shelter, and healthcare increasingly difficult.
