Iran-backed Houthis seize key Red Sea port in blow to Saudi forces

The capture of Mokha gives the Houthis a stronger position along Yemen’s western coast. (AP Photo)

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militants have seized the key Red Sea port of Mokha and advanced towards the Hanish islands, bringing them closer to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and raising the prospect of a major new threat to one of the world’s most vital shipping routes.The rapid advance has brought the Houthis closer to the narrow maritime gateway linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, potentially giving the group greater leverage over a route critical to global oil and commodity supplies.Houthi forces have pushed Saudi-backed government troops south towards Dhubab, directly opposite Perim island at the entrance to the strait, according to two Yemeni government sources. Control of the area could put the Houthis in a position to threaten maritime traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb.The development marks a potentially significant escalation in Yemen’s long-running conflict, with fighting spreading along the country’s western coastline and raising fears that the battle could spill directly into one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors.The stakes extend well beyond Yemen. Any serious disruption to shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb could further strain global energy and commodity markets already facing disruption elsewhere in the region, with Brent crude trading above $100 a barrel on Thursday.Two Yemeni government sources said the Houthis had reached the Hanish islands after launching attacks that pushed government forces and their allies towards Dhubab. The town sits directly opposite Perim island, a strategically important position controlling access to the strait.“Control of Dhubab and the island is key to gaining hold of the strait, they said.”The fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces has intensified in recent days, with the militant group shifting its focus towards controlling Yemen’s long western coastline rather than concentrating primarily on the north.

Houthis deny threat to shipping

Despite the advance, Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam said navigation and international trade through the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb remained safe and regular.In a post on X, Abdulsalam said Yemen posed no threat to shipping and described the group’s operations as defensive and limited to previously announced targets. He said the operations would end if attacks on Yemen stopped and the blockade was lifted, according to Reuters.The Houthis have previously demonstrated their ability to disrupt shipping in the Red Sea. The group launched attacks on vessels in 2023, saying it was acting in support of Palestinians during Israel’s war in Gaza.Those attacks, along with strikes against Saudi Arabia, resumed this year in response to the United States’ war on the Houthis’ close ally Iran.The group has also declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, raising concerns that its growing position along the western coast could further threaten the kingdom’s oil shipments to Asia.

Why Bab el-Mandeb matters

The Bab el-Mandeb, meaning “Gate of Tears”, is the southern outlet of the Red Sea, separating Yemen from Djibouti and Eritrea. It links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean.It is a crucial route for crude oil and fuel travelling from the Gulf towards the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal, as well as commodities bound for Asia, including Russian oil.Houthi control of or increased access to positions around the strait could therefore have consequences far beyond Yemen, particularly if attacks or restrictions force commercial vessels to avoid the route.The Houthis earlier seized the historic port city of Mokha, four Yemeni government military sources said. The port is around 50 miles (80 km) from the Bab el-Mandeb.Mokha had long been held by forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia. Its capture represents a major setback for Saudi-backed forces and gives the Houthis a stronger position along the country’s western coastline.

Saudi Arabia warns Iran

The latest escalation has also drawn a warning from Saudi Arabia to Iran, with Pakistan delivering a message to Tehran urging it to rein in its Houthi allies after attacks on the kingdom intensified, according to Saudi, Pakistani and Iranian sources.A senior Iranian official confirmed that Pakistan conveyed the message on Tuesday. Iran’s response was that “Iran does not control the Houthis”.However, two Iranian sources said Tehran had told the Houthis last week to carry out attacks on Saudi Arabia, promising additional funding and weapons. They also said several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders had travelled to Yemen to help coordinate the attacks.The claims could not be independently verified by Reuters.A military leader allied with Yemen’s government forces said on Thursday that he had ordered his group on the west coast to establish an alternative command centre in a safe location. The instructions from Tarek Saleh, nephew of assassinated Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, were another indication that the Houthis were pushing his National Resistance Forces away from the western coast.A video verified by Reuters showed Houthi fighters celebrating advances at a security directorate building in the Hays district south of Hodeidah. The fighters, some armed with rifles and chewing qat, chanted: “Death to America, death to Israel”.

Attacks intensify across Saudi border

The Houthis said on Wednesday that Saudi strikes had hit the Yemeni provinces of Al Jawf, Marib and Saada, which border Saudi Arabia, as well as Taiz in the south and Hodeidah on the Red Sea coast.Hodeidah is a Houthi stronghold and has been used as a base for the group’s wider campaign against shipping in the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia did not confirm the strikes.Saudi Arabia said Houthi attacks on the kingdom in recent days had wounded 73 people, including women and children, after civilian and economic sites in the south were targeted.The escalation has effectively opened another front in the wider conflict involving Iran and Saudi Arabia, threatening to deepen pressure on regional energy and commodity supplies.Saudi Arabia has already been using its Red Sea port of Yanbu to load millions of barrels of oil a day as it seeks to avoid disruption to shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.Any further threat to the Bab el-Mandeb could complicate the kingdom’s ability to move oil towards Asian markets.

Fragile Yemen truce under threat

The latest Houthi advance comes after days of intense fighting with Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces and threatens to further undermine a fragile truce that took effect in 2022.The UN-brokered truce largely halted years of fighting but failed to produce a lasting political settlement. The latest clashes have raised fears of a return to full-scale conflict.The Houthis seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014, forcing the internationally recognised government south towards Aden. Saudi Arabia intervened the following year at the head of an Arab coalition, citing concerns over growing Iranian influence in Yemen and instability along its border.The resulting civil war triggered one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises and led to years of fighting and devastating Saudi-led airstrikes.With Iranian support, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi transformed the group from a faction of mountain fighters into a force numbering tens of thousands.The Houthis have since developed significant missile and drone capabilities, using them to attack oil facilities and critical infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.