Houthis Take Mokha as Government Forces Withdraw From Red Sea Port By The Media Line Staff Iran-backed Houthi forces took control of the strategic Yemeni port city of Mokha on Thursday after government-aligned troops withdrew, three anti-Houthi Yemeni government officials told Reuters, extending Houthi positions along the Red Sea coast near a major international shipping […]
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The Media Line: Houthis Take Mokha as Government Forces Withdraw From Red Sea Port
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Houthis Take Mokha as Government Forces Withdraw From Red Sea Port
By The Media Line Staff
Iran-backed Houthi forces took control of the strategic Yemeni port city of Mokha on Thursday after government-aligned troops withdrew, three anti-Houthi Yemeni government officials told Reuters, extending Houthi positions along the Red Sea coast near a major international shipping route.
Mokha is less than 50 miles north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and serves as a major chokepoint for global maritime traffic.
Arab media outlets reported Thursday morning that government forces had left the city as the Houthis moved in. Images and videos circulated on social media appeared to show Houthi fighters inside Mokha, while witnesses reported rebel forces entering the city chanting slogans.
Control of Mokha would give the Houthis an expanded presence on Yemen’s western coastline, where they also control Hodeidah, and strengthen their position near the Bab el-Mandeb.
Accounts of the situation in the city, however, were disputed by the National Resistance Front, which said its forces were reinforcing Mokha rather than permanently abandoning it.
The NRF is a coalition of forces opposed to the Houthis led by Tareq Saleh, a former Houthi ally and senior member of the Yemeni government. The group said a commander entered Mokha with a military contingent Thursday morning as its troops reorganized their positions.
“Force reorganization and consolidation [of Mocha’s defenses] are underway in coordination with the anti-Houthi coalition,” the NRF’s official media outlet reported.
The outlet also reported clashes between NRF troops and Houthi naval forces.
The developments in Mokha came as fighting intensified across Yemen’s western front. The Houthi advance also places additional pressure near international shipping routes at a time of wider regional conflict and concerns over global energy supplies.