Houthis seize Yemeni port city of Mocha near Bab al-Mandeb Strait

Sep 10, 2026

Yemen's Houthi rebels have seized the strategic Red Sea port city of Mocha, routing Saudi-backed government forces and advancing to within 50 miles of the vital Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The offensive has reignited Yemen's civil war, leaving over 500 dead and displacing 20,000 people. In response, Saudi Arabia launched dozens of airstrikes and warned Iran via Pakistan to rein in the group. The escalation has severely disrupted global shipping routes, pushing Brent crude oil prices above $100 a barrel.

Houthi seizure of Mocha port

▪Yemen's Houthi rebels seized control of the strategic Red Sea port city of Mocha on September 10, 2026, after routing Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces
▪Major General Tareq Saleh, commander of the Yemeni government's National Resistance Forces, organized a strategic retreat south of Mocha to regroup in a secure location
▪Houthi forces also captured the inland city of Hays, the Khalid ibn al-Walid military camp, and Zuqar Island in the southern Red Sea during their offensive

Bab al-Mandeb Strait control

▪Yemeni government forces and their allies relocated south of Mocha to Dhubab, which sits directly on the Bab al-Mandeb Strait across from Perim Island
▪The Houthis launched attacks on the strategic Red Sea islands of Hanish and Zuqar to further expand their operational footing near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait
▪The Houthi capture of Mocha places the rebel group less than 50 miles from the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a critical maritime chokepoint linking Asia to Europe

Escalation in Yemen conflict

▪The conflict reignited in July 2026 after the Houthis allowed an Iranian plane to land in Sana'a in defiance of Saudi control, prompting Saudi forces to bomb the runway
▪The renewed fighting in Yemen has left more than 500 people dead, mostly combatants, since the large-scale Houthi offensive began in early September 2026
▪The escalation in fighting has forced nearly 20,000 people to flee their homes in Taiz and al-Hodeidah provinces over a two-week period, according to international and government data

Saudi Arabia military response

▪Saudi Arabia launched approximately 40 airstrikes on September 10, 2026, targeting Houthi positions in Taiz, Hodeidah, Al-Jawf, and Marib provinces
▪Saudi civil defence authorities issued emergency alerts in the southern cities of Khamis Mushait and Abha following Houthi ballistic missile and drone attacks
▪Pakistan delivered a warning from Saudi Arabia to Iran on September 8, 2026, urging Tehran to rein in its Houthi allies to prevent the conflict from spiralling

Global shipping route disruption

▪The Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the Strait of Hormuz together handle approximately one-quarter of daily global petroleum and crude shipments
▪The Houthis previously disrupted Red Sea shipping in late 2023 in support of Palestinians in Gaza, and resumed attacks in 2026 in response to the U.S. war on Iran

Oil supply security concerns

▪Saudi Arabia has loaded millions of barrels of oil daily from its northern Red Sea port of Yanbu to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed
▪The escalating conflict in Yemen contributed to Brent crude oil prices rising above $100 a barrel on September 10, 2026, after weeks of trading closer to $80

Debatable claims

▪The US should end its naval blockade of Iranian oil
▪Iran exercises direct operational control over the Houthi military campaign
▪Saudi Arabia should invoke the Mecca defence agreement to counter the Houthi offensive