Iran-aligned Houthi forces have seized the strategic Yemeni port city of Mocha, moving the group closer to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and potentially strengthening its ability to threaten one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes. The takeover came as Saudi-backed Yemeni forces reported advances in other parts of the country.

Houthi forces entered Mocha, a Red Sea port located less than 50 miles from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, after government troops withdrew from the area overnight. The development followed claims by Saudi-backed Yemeni forces on Wednesday that they had achieved major battlefield successes across northern and central desert regions and had breached Houthi defensive positions.

However, the apparent government advances in the desert may have masked a broader strategic shift. Rather than attempting to hold exposed desert territory, the Houthis appear to have repositioned their forces toward the more strategically important western coastline. By Thursday morning, Houthi fighters had taken control of Mocha after government forces withdrew in large numbers, effectively trading desert territory for a coastal position that could give the group greater leverage over shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb and additional means of pressuring Saudi Arabia.

A former Yemeni military official told i24NEWS that government claims of progress in the desert were “actually a cover for their losses on the coastline.” “It’s really bad,” he said, arguing that reversing the situation would require greater Saudi involvement and the activation of the Mecca Accord, potentially bringing Turkey and Pakistan into the conflict.

The latest escalation comes as the prospect of a renewed full-scale confrontation between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces grows, raising fresh concerns that Yemen’s fragile UN-brokered truce, which has largely held since 2022, could collapse.

Known as the “Gate of Tears,” the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a crucial maritime corridor connecting the Gulf region with the Mediterranean and Asian markets and carries significant volumes of crude oil and fuel. Houthi control or influence along the coast could threaten the shipping routes used by Gulf energy producers such as Saudi Arabia, potentially adding to disruptions caused by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The Houthis claimed Wednesday that Saudi airstrikes targeted Jawaf, Marib, Saada, Taiz and al-Hodeidah provinces, although Saudi authorities did not confirm the reported strikes.

Saudi civil defense authorities announced an all-clear Thursday following a fourth emergency alert within 24 hours in Khamis Mushait. The Saudi-led coalition said Houthi attacks on Tuesday wounded at least 73 people across four southern Saudi cities, marking one of the most significant Houthi attacks since the US-Israeli war on Iran began in February.