Yemeni Government Forces Strike Houthis in Captured Red Sea City of Mocha

Yemeni government forces struck Houthi fighters, vehicles and weapons in the Red Sea city of Mocha on Saturday after the Iran-backed group captured the strategic port the previous day, cementing its hold on the Bab al-Mandab Strait. [1]

Government Counterstrike in Mocha

Yemen's Riyadh-backed government forces said on Saturday that they had struck Houthi fighters in the strategic Red Sea city of Mocha. [1] The spokesperson for the Yemeni government forces said they targeted the Houthis, destroying their weapons and vehicles on the Mocha-Dhubab road. [1] "The armed forces destroyed vehicles and weapons and killed members of the Houthi terrorist militia backed by the Iranian regime" near Mocha's port, the government news agency Saba reported on Saturday. [1] The spokesman for the Yemeni government forces, Majed Abdullah al-Nazili, said they had also struck Houthi vehicles and fighters on the Mocha-Dhubab road, just outside the city, according to Saba. [1] Nazili said on Friday that government forces had begun shelling areas in Mocha, and called on citizens not to use the Taiz-Mocha and Mocha-Dhubab roads. [1] The fall of the city to the Houthis on Thursday drove many residents to flee to Aden, where the internationally recognised government is based. [1]

Houthi Capture of Red Sea Coast

Following a week-long offensive, the Houthis on Friday captured Yemen's Red Sea coast, cementing their hold on the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital artery for Saudi Arabian oil exports as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed amid the US-Iran war. [1] They had seized Mocha the day before after heavy fighting. [1] The Houthis have also advanced along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including the seizure of the port city of Mokha and a Red Sea island from Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces. [3] Four Yemeni government sources told Reuters that the Houthis had seized the strategic island of Perim on Friday in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the narrow passage connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. [3] The Bab el-Mandeb is another major international shipping route, as around 12% of global trade passes through the strait. [3]

Yemeni government forces target Houthi fighters vehicles and weapons near Mocha port. — Source: anadolu

Prisoner Release by Houthis

Yemen's Houthis said on Saturday that they had freed more than 200 of their members detained by Saudi-backed pro-government forces in areas they captured in recent days. [2] Houthi official Abdelkader al-Murtada said they were prisoners of war who had spent up to eight years in jail before the Iran-backed group launched a rapid offensive to take over areas bordering the Bab al-Mandab Strait. [2] "We have welcomed 210 of our prisoners, freed from Saudi enemy prisons on the west coast," Murtada said at a conference in the capital Sanaa. [2] The Houthis had already controlled large parts of northern Yemen, including most of the country's populated areas and the major cities of Sanaa and Hodeida, before making dramatic advances last week. [2]

Reported Strikes on Mocha Infrastructure

On Friday, Houthi media said two Saudi strikes hit Mocha's airport, while a local official said the city's seaport was hit by six missiles of unknown origin. [1] The fall of the city to the Houthis on Thursday drove many residents to flee to Aden, where the internationally recognised government is based. [1] Yemen's government forces said they had struck Houthi vehicles and fighters on the Mocha-Dhubab road. [4]

Yemeni government forces strike Houthi fighters and vehicles near Mocha port on the Red Sea. — Source: thenewarab

US and Saudi Diplomatic Contacts

News site Axios reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman had twice called US President Donald Trump to request American strikes on the Houthis last week. [1] But on Saturday, Trump told reporters that "the Houthis called us and they don't want to fight with us". [1] He didn't say if Washington would take action, but added "everything's gonna work out fine and dandy" in the region. [1] Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke to Trump on Thursday and asked for US military help in fighting the Houthis, according to three sources cited by Reuters. [3] The sources said Washington had told the Saudi leadership that it would not intervene directly for now but would provide intelligence assistance. [3] Trump confirmed on Saturday that he had spoken to the crown prince. [3] He also said the Houthis had contacted his administration and asked Washington not to become directly involved in the conflict. [3] The United States previously conducted a seven-week bombing campaign against the Houthis, starting in March 2025, in response to the group's repeated attacks on international shipping in support of Hamas in the war on Gaza. [1] That effort ended with a negotiated ceasefire, though the Houthis kept up their missile and drone attacks targeting Israel. [1]

Broader Context of Yemen Conflict

Yemen's civil war began with the group's takeover of the capital Sanaa in 2014, and was paused by a 2022 truce that fell apart in July. [1] More recently, the group has resumed attacks on ships in the Red Sea after declaring a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia. [1] The Houthis have declared a blockade of Saudi shipping and resumed large-scale attacks after a period of reduced activity. [3] The Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said maritime navigation remained safe for all shipping except Saudi vessels covered by a previously announced ban. [3] The Houthis' ground offensive, launched last week, has killed more than 500 people, according to sources on both sides. [1] It has also displaced about 76,000 people, the UN migration agency said on Saturday, a figure that had quadrupled since last week. [1] Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities march during a rally to recruit more fighters, in Sanaa, Yemen, on 10 September 2026. [2]

What to watch next: Trump said the situation in the region would work out fine while Saudi Arabia has so far chosen not to retaliate over related attacks and instead decided to give Iraqi authorities an opportunity to take necessary measures following a request from the Iraqi prime minister.