Current Wars in the World See Houthi Forces Capture Yemen Port City Mocha
Iran-backed Houthi rebels have seized the strategic Red Sea port city of Mocha in Yemen and are advancing toward the Bab el-Mandeb strait, while Russian forces intensify strikes on Ukraine's fortress cities in Donbas as part of ongoing global conflicts in current wars in the world.
Houthi Seizure of Mocha Raises Red Sea Shipping Risks
Houthi fighters took control of Mocha on Thursday after a large-scale offensive, seized Zuqar Island, and are moving toward positions overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb strait, which has become critical for global shipping amid disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. [2] Witnesses reported Houthi fighters marching in the area chanting "death to America, death to Israel." [2] A Yemeni military source stated that the Iran-backed Houthis were advancing towards the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait after having taken control of Mocha. [2] The Houthis also seized Zuqar Island in the southern Red Sea after rocket attacks and a ground assault carried out using boats transporting fighters. [2] Iranian arms and direct guidance from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards helped the Houthi advance, according to Yemeni government, Iranian and regional sources. [5] Two Iranian sources said Tehran had instructed the Houthis to intensify attacks on Saudi Arabia and promised additional funding, weapons and senior officers. [5] Iran has publicly denied directing Houthi operations. [5] Tarek Saleh, who heads the Yemeni National Resistance Forces that controlled Mocha, said he moved his command centre to a safe location to regroup. [2] Government forces have paid a heavy price in recent days in the face of a Houthi offensive that was planned and supported by Iran. [2] The leader of Yemen's internationally recognised Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, said the protection of the country's coasts and restoring state control of them was an Arab and international interest. [2] Before the offensive, the Houthis already controlled a large part of Yemen's north, including the capital Sanaa, as well as the major port city of Hodeidah on the Red Sea. [2] With their drones and missiles, the Houthis have been able to disrupt traffic in the Red Sea. [2] Controlling the coast would strengthen Houthi maritime coercion, said Andreas Krieg, a security expert at King's College London. [2] The advance of the Houthis in Mocha, as well as in the nearby areas of Khokha and Hays, has driven many people to flee to Aden. [2] Mohamed, 46, who left Mocha in the middle of the night, told AFP there was an apocalyptic atmosphere in the port city. [2] Mujahid Tahami, who also set off for Aden, said some families had fallen victim to looting by gangs as they tried to flee. [2]
Escalating Yemen Conflict Displaces Thousands and Kills Hundreds
The fighting in Yemen since July has killed more than 500 people, displaced nearly 20,000, and prompted Saudi Arabia to launch dozens of airstrikes, with Houthis responding by attacking Saudi territory. [2] Since last week, the fighting in Yemen has left more than 500 dead, mostly combatants, according to an AFP tally compiled from several sources. [2] It has also forced nearly 20,000 people to flee their homes, the International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday. [2] On Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthis said the group fired ballistic missiles and drones at several cities in southern Saudi Arabia. [2] On Thursday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Saudi Arabia had launched 64 strikes on Yemen over the previous 24 hours. [2] Their Al-Masirah TV channel reported 10 strikes on Taiz province in western Yemen. [2] ACLED recorded at least 276 fatalities between Sept. 3 and Sept. 7 as clashes spread across al-Dali, al-Bayda, Marib, Shabwa, al-Jawf, al-Hudayda and Taizz. [5] Sherwan Hindreen Ali, ACLED’s Middle East research manager, said fighting along the Red Sea coast had become particularly intense as both sides sought control over territory with direct strategic importance to Bab el-Mandeb. [5] Saudi forces launched at least 15 strikes against the Houthis between Sept. 3 and Sept. 7, mostly around Taizz, marking the highest number of Saudi strikes since Riyadh resumed military engagement against the Houthis in July. [5] The Houthis responded Sept. 8 with what Ali described as their largest wave of direct attacks on Saudi territory since March 2022, launching dozens of drones and ballistic missiles toward Abha, Jizan, Najran and Khamis Mushait. [5] The attacks injured 73 people. [5] The hostilities kicked off in July when the Houthis let an Iranian plane land in defiance of Saudi control of Yemeni airspace. [2] The government retaliated by striking Sanaa airport, an attack the Houthis blamed on Saudi Arabia. [2]
Russian Strikes Pound Ukraine's Donbas Fortress Cities
In Ukraine, Slovyansk and Kramatorsk in Donbas face near-daily Russian glide bomb attacks, with civilian casualties rising sharply; police are urging evacuations and forced removals of families with children have begun. [1] It is so dangerous now in Slovyansk and Kramatorsk that police say it is time for civilians to get out. [1] In the worst affected areas, forced evacuations of families with children have already begun, says Pavlo Dyachenko of Donetsk police. [1] If you take Slovyansk, it used to be hit by glide bombs roughly once a week, but now it's almost every day. [1] Slovyansk, Kramatorsk and Kostyantynivka, to the south, form part of what is known as Ukraine's fortress belt. [1] Kostyantynivka only has a limited presence of Ukrainian troops left, reports say, while Russia claims to be in full control of it. [1] Over the summer, the number of civilians wounded by Russian attacks on the two cities increased from 70 in June to 212 in August, say Ukrainian police. [1] Sixteen people died in June, 20 in July and 15 in August. [1] The number of glide bombs launched by Russia jumped from 40 in June to 109 in July and 92 in August, according to data published by Ukrainian police and studied by the BBC. [1] One morning two weeks ago, on 25 August, nine glide bombs targeted Kramatorsk. [1] Seven hit civilian apartment blocks, wounding 24 people including a two-month-old baby, Ukrainian police say. [1] Two days later, it was hit again, this time with seven glide bombs, and five bombs targeted Slovyansk. [1] Many of Kramatorsk's key streets are now covered with anti-drone netting. [1] Viktor Makurin, a volunteer from London, says there are often remote-controlled FPV drones in the air. [1] Driving around the city is lethally dangerous. [1] John Auckland Abbey, another British volunteer, posted that glide bombs are silent killers. [1]
Strategic Importance of Donbas and Russian Objectives
Russia controls nearly all of Luhansk and about 80% of Donetsk, with full capture of Donbas remaining a key objective; Ukrainian President Zelensky has formed new task forces to defend the remaining areas. [1] The full capture of Donbas, made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, is a key objective for Russia. [1] The Russian army already controls almost all of Luhansk region, and is now in control of almost 80% of Donetsk region too, where all three fortress cities lie. [1] For the past few months, the territory near Kramatorsk and Slovyansk has been the main focus of Russian ground assaults. [1] Capturing them would potentially make it much easier for Russia to advance to the west. [1] What happens to the areas of Donbas still under Ukrainian control was reportedly a key issue when US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last weekend after their talks with Putin. [1] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is refusing to pull troops out of it. [1] He says Putin has given his generals until the end of the year to complete their occupation of Donbas. [1] Putin's primary objective on the front line remains the same: Kostyantynivka-Slovyansk, Zelensky told journalists last month. [1] Faced with mounting military pressure, the Ukrainian leader has created two new taskforces headed by experienced generals, Andriy Biletsky and Denys Prokopenko, to defend the portion of Donbas still in Ukrainian hands. [1]
Oil Prices Surge as Dual Chokepoints Face Threats in Current Wars in the World
Oil prices have surged past $100 per barrel for WTI as the Houthi advance threatens a second major shipping chokepoint alongside Iranian influence over Hormuz. [2] On Thursday, the US oil contract WTI surpassed $100, after Brent North Sea crude already did so on Wednesday. [2] The advance threatens the southern gateway to the Red Sea just as Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on that route to bypass Hormuz. [5] Now you have Iran on one side of the Arabian Peninsula controlling Hormuz, and now the Houthis controlling Bab el-Mandeb on the other side of the peninsula, Hisham Al-Omeisy, senior Yemen adviser at the European Institute of Peace, told Fox News Digital. [5] Which basically is going to drive prices — oil prices, goods and everything else — up exponentially. [5] The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported Sept. 9 that crude oil and petroleum liquids moving through Bab el-Mandeb averaged 8.1 million barrels per day in the second quarter of 2026, up from 5.4 million barrels per day in the final quarter of 2025. [5] At the same time, flows through Hormuz plunged from 21.6 million barrels per day to just 4.9 million. [5] The EIA attributed the increase at Bab el-Mandeb in part to Saudi Arabia rerouting crude through its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea port of Yanbu to avoid Hormuz. [5] Bab el-Mandeb is only about 18 miles wide at its narrowest point and connects the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea and, farther north, the Suez Canal. [5]
International Reactions and Diplomatic Efforts
The United Nations Security Council met Thursday to discuss the conflict with its Yemen envoy, Hans Grundberg, who called for the active investment of every member of this body to contain what could be the precipice for a far more dangerous conflict. [2] The emergency meeting was brought together by the United Kingdom, which called on the Security Council to send a clear and consistent message: the Houthis must de-escalate, cease their attacks, and return to a path towards peace. [2] On background, a senior administration official told Fox News Digital that the United States is focused on protecting our core national security interests such as ensuring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea while empowering our regional partners to take the lead in managing and resolving regional security challenges. [5] We are in continuous dialogue with Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Yemen Government regarding regional stability. [5] The widening fighting is now posing an early test for a new joint defense agreement between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey. [5] The agreement, signed last month in Mecca, states that an armed attack against one member will be considered an attack against all three. [5] After Houthi drones and ballistic missiles struck Saudi cities and energy infrastructure this week, Pakistan said Thursday that no military response under the pact was currently being discussed. [5]
What to watch next: The United Nations Security Council continues to urge de-escalation while Houthi forces consolidate gains near Bab el-Mandeb and Russian glide bomb strikes persist on Ukraine's remaining Donbas positions.
