Houthi Rebels Seize Yemen Red Sea Port City Mocha and Perim Island in Most Dangerous Countries

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have seized the strategic Red Sea port city of Mocha and Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, advancing toward a key international shipping route as fighting with Saudi-backed government forces intensifies in most dangerous countries. Houthi fighters captured Mocha on Thursday after launching a major offensive last week against Saudi-backed Yemeni government troops, then used rockets and boats to seize Perim Island and advanced on Dhubab. [1] [4] The takeover gives the Houthis direct control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait linking the Red Sea to the Suez Canal, completing their hold on the strategic waterway and strengthening their ability to disrupt Red Sea shipping with drones and missiles. [5] The renewed clashes have displaced thousands, killed or wounded over 1,000 people according to the World Health Organization, and triggered Saudi airstrikes with Houthi retaliation including ballistic missile and drone attacks on Saudi cities such as Khamis Mushait, Abha and Jazan that wounded at least 73. [2] Oil prices surged past $100 a barrel for both WTI and Brent crude amid fears of disrupted Gulf shipping after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz. [1] The fighting follows a fragile truce that broke down after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, with Houthis already controlling much of northern Yemen including Sanaa and the port of Hodeidah. [1] [2]

Houthi Forces Seize Mocha and Perim Island

Houthi fighters captured Mocha on Thursday after launching a major offensive last week against Saudi-backed Yemeni government troops. [1] Eyewitnesses told AFP that after seizing the city the fighters advanced through urban areas chanting slogans against the United States and Israel. [1] A Yemeni military source told AFP on Thursday that Iran-backed Houthis advanced toward the Bab el-Mandeb waterway after taking Mocha. [1] Houthi forces used rockets and boats carrying fighters to seize Perim Island in the southern Red Sea following a ground assault. [1] The same forces reached Dhubab as Yemeni government forces withdrew from nearby Perim Island. [4] A source told Anadolu that the takeover means the group has completed its control of the strategic waterway. [5] Tarek Saleh, head of the Yemeni National Resistance Forces that previously controlled Mocha, stated in a release that he had moved his command center to a safe location and reorganized. [1] Saleh added that Yemen's government forces have paid a heavy price in recent days while confronting the Iran-planned and supported Houthi offensive. [1]

Strategic Impact on Red Sea Shipping

The territorial gains enhance Houthi ability to threaten international maritime traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. [1] Control of the coast strengthens the Houthis' maritime leverage according to Andreas Krieg, a security expert at King's College London. [1] The waterway links the Red Sea to the Suez Canal and connects Asia to Europe. [1] The gains come as the route gains broader importance after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz due to the Middle East war that began earlier. [1] Houthis already controlled much of northern Yemen including Sanaa and the Red Sea port of Hodeidah before these advances, though they previously lacked any area directly overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb. [1] With the new holdings the group can use its drones and missiles to disrupt traffic in the Red Sea. [1] The advance on Mocha plus nearby areas of Khokha and Hays has forced many people to flee toward Aden. [1]

Escalating Clashes and Casualties in Most Dangerous Countries

Recent fighting in Marib, al-Jawf and other provinces has produced multiple child deaths from shelling. [2] In Marib province Houthi shelling killed at least three children and wounded six more within the past 48 hours, marking the second such attack in that period after an earlier incident killed two children and wounded 15. [2] Saudi-led coalition airstrikes reached 54 in six Yemeni provinces in a 12-hour period on Wednesday according to Houthi claims, with another 40 strikes claimed on Thursday. [2] In al-Jawf province a Saudi airstrike on a prison raised the death toll to at least 32 with seven more wounded. [2] The World Health Organization reports that recent clashes have killed or wounded more than 1,000 people and displaced thousands. [2] The conflict has continued since Houthis seized the capital Sanaa in 2014, followed by Saudi-led military intervention the next year that has left an estimated 150,000 people dead overall. [2]

Houthi Attacks Inside Saudi Arabia

Houthi missile and drone strikes targeted Saudi infrastructure and cities including Khamis Mushait, Abha and Jazan. [1] [2] Saudi officials stated these attacks wounded at least 73 people. [2] The Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Major General Turki al-Maliki said the Houthis used ballistic missiles and drones against those areas and announced the coalition would respond. [2] Saudi civil defense authorities issued multiple alerts for Khamis Mushait and Abha. [2] Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree stated that Saudi aircraft took off from King Khalid and King Fahd air bases in Khamis Mushait and Taif to carry out strikes and that retaliation and punishment would follow. [2] Houthi claims included attacks on Aramco facilities, economic city sites and the Khamis Mushait air base in response to 121 Saudi airstrikes over recent days. [2]

Oil Prices Surge Past $100

The immediate economic consequence of disrupted shipping lanes appeared in global crude prices. [1] WTI American crude futures topped $100 a barrel on Thursday while the main international benchmark Brent North Sea crude had already surpassed $100 on Wednesday. [1] Regional war has blocked maritime transport in the Gulf and raised the importance of the Bab el-Mandeb route. [1]

Background of Renewed Yemen Conflict

The war has continued since 2014 when Houthis seized Sanaa, followed by Saudi-led intervention the next year. [2] A major UN-mediated truce in 2022 halted large-scale fighting until clashes resumed this July. [2] Last week Houthis launched major operations in Hodeidah and Taiz and advanced toward the Bab el-Mandeb while government forces responded with intensified operations in al-Jawf and other areas. [2]

What to watch next: Further Houthi advances toward Dhubab and possible additional Saudi airstrikes or Houthi ballistic missile and drone responses remain possible based on the pattern of recent claims from both sides.