Yemen Conflict Sees Houthis Seize Mocha Port City Overlooking Bab el-Mandeb in Most Dangerous Countries

Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized the strategic Yemeni port city of Mocha on September 10, 2026, advancing toward positions overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and raising risks to Red Sea shipping in most dangerous countries. [2]

Houthi Capture of Mocha

Houthi forces captured Mocha and reached the Hanish Islands while Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces withdrew south toward Dhubab, which sits directly on the Bab el-Mandeb opposite the island of Perim. [2] Control of Dhubab and Perim would be critical to gaining a stronger hold over the strait, according to Yemeni government sources. [2] Yemen's Houthi movement has seized the strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha from Saudi-backed pro-government forces. [4] The capture of Mokha would bring the Iran-backed group closer to controlling the Bab al-Mandab strait, a key shipping route about 75km to the south that links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. [4] Yemen's Houthis seized control of the strategic Red Sea port city of Mocha on Thursday. [3]

Threat to Red Sea Shipping

The advance threatens the southern gateway to the Red Sea just as Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on that route to bypass Hormuz. [2] 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. [2] It is a major artery for goods moving between Asia and Europe as well as energy shipments. [2] 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. [2] At the same time, flows through Hormuz plunged from 21.6 million barrels per day to just 4.9 million. [2] 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. [2] The Red Sea has become crucial for Saudi Arabia's oil exports since the start of the US and Israel's war with Iran, which has led to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf. [4] Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed and thousands displaced since the Houthis launched an offensive in the south-western coastal region a week ago. [4]

Houthi rebels seized the Yemeni port city of Mocha overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on September 10 2026. — Source: foxnews

Iranian Role in the Advance

Iranian arms and direct guidance from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards helped the Houthi advance, citing Yemeni government, Iranian and regional sources. [2] Two Iranian sources told Reuters that Tehran had instructed the Houthis to intensify attacks on Saudi Arabia and promised additional funding, weapons and senior officers. [2] Iran has publicly denied directing Houthi operations. [2] Reuters separately reported Thursday that Iranian arms supplies and direct guidance from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards contributed to the Houthi advance, according to Yemeni government, Iranian and regional sources. [2]

Escalation of Saudi-Houthi Clashes in Most Dangerous Countries

Saudi Arabia launched at least 15 strikes against the Houthis between September 3 and 7, mostly around Taizz. [2] The Houthis responded with dozens of drones and ballistic missiles on Saudi cities including Abha, Jizan, Najran and Khamis Mushait, injuring 73 people. [2] ACLED described the clashes as the most serious escalation since mid-July, recording at least 276 fatalities between September 3 and 7 across multiple provinces including al-Hudayda and Taizz. [2] The Houthi military spokesman said Saudi Arabia had launched 64 strikes on Yemen over the past 24 hours. [3] On Tuesday, the Houthis launched dozens of drones and missiles at southern Saudi Arabia, injuring 73 civilians and causing fires at several oil facilities that led to a temporary halt in operations, according to Saudi authorities. [4] The Houthis said they were retaliating for dozens of Saudi air strikes on their territory in north-western Yemen in recent days, including one on a prison in the town of Hazm in Jawf province that local officials said killed at least 23 civilians. [4] A four-year-old informal ceasefire began to unravel in July, when the Houthis announced a "maritime embargo" against Saudi Arabia and began missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers in the Red Sea. [4]

Broader Regional Implications

"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. [2] "Which basically is going to drive prices — oil prices, goods and everything else — up exponentially." [2] Al-Omeisy said retreating government forces left behind military materiel that could strengthen Houthi forces on other fronts. [2] "People are focused on taking Mocha and those outposts on the Red Sea," Al-Omeisy said. "But the military side is terrible, particularly the equipment, the munitions, the vehicles, the drones that were at those military camps, which they can now, in turn, use against the government forces elsewhere." [2] On background, a senior administration official told Fox News Digital: "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." [2] The widening fighting is now posing an early test for a new joint defense agreement between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey. [2] The agreement, signed last month in Mecca, states that an armed attack against one member will be considered an attack against all three. [2] But 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. [2]

Ongoing Military Developments

Yemeni army declares military zone, warns civilians to avoid Taiz-Mocha road. [5] Armed forces say they will use all available weapons, firepower against Houthi military movements within designated area. [5] 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. [2] "Fighting will remain focused on the fronts of the Red Sea coast in al-Hudaydah and Taizz, where both the Houthis and the Saudi Arabia/IRG have a vested interest in claiming the whole territory to deprive the other side of effective control of the strait of Bab el-Mandab," Ali said in an analysis. [2]

What to watch next: The Houthis are also good in exploiting divisions and delays, they move rapidly on the ground to force a status quo while the international community debates merits, responsibilities and costs of an intervention.