Houthis seize Red Sea port of Mokha, 75km from Bab al-Mandab

Houthi fighters have seized the Red Sea port city of Mokha from Saudi-backed pro-government forces, military sources and witnesses said, leaving the Iran-backed group about 75km (46 miles) from the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the southern gateway to a trade route linking Asia and Europe. The clashes came on Wednesday night.

Where is Mokha and why does its capture matter?

Mokha lies on Yemen’s western coast, 75km (46 miles) from the Bab al-Mandab Strait, through which shipping passes between Asia and Europe, and the Houthis said they posed no threat to international shipping. The group reiterated its threat to target vessels from Saudi Arabia, which has relied on the Red Sea for oil exports since the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed by the war involving the US and Israel. The escalation has contributed to a surge in oil prices. Safety at sea has drawn scrutiny elsewhere after a fire on a ferry off the Philippine island of Palawan killed five people and left about 80 missing.

How many people have been killed or displaced?

Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed and thousands displaced since the Houthis launched an offensive in south-west Yemen a week ago. Mokha residents said fighters moved into the city after fierce clashes with pro-government forces on Wednesday night, prompting many families to flee. “The takeover came without warning. Panic spread throughout the area, forcing people to flee amid distressing scenes of injured people lying in the streets with no-one there to help them,” one man told BBC Arabic’s Middle East Lifeline programme. Displaced families are heading east towards Aden, where Yemen’s internationally recognised Presidential Leadership Council and government are based.

What have the Houthis said about the takeover?

There was no immediate confirmation of Mokha’s capture from the Houthis. The group’s Supreme Political Council said on Thursday that clashes had “ceased in the western coast districts after the expulsion of Saudi enemy mobilisations”, according to Houthi-run Al Masirah TV. The council asserted its “right to defend [Yemen’s] sovereignty and territorial waters” while saying navigation in the Red Sea remained safe, though its humanitarian operations co-ordination centre said the embargo on Saudi ships stayed in place. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said Saudi warplanes carried out 64 strikes across the western provinces of Taiz, Hudaydah, Marib and Jawf over the previous 24 hours.

How has the Saudi-led coalition responded?

A Saudi-led coalition has carried out air strikes on Houthi-controlled areas in western Yemen in support of pro-government forces, while the Houthis have fired missiles and drones at southern Saudi cities and oil facilities. On Tuesday, Houthi drones and missiles injured 73 civilians in southern Saudi Arabia and caused fires at oil facilities that led to a temporary halt in operations, according to Saudi authorities. The Houthis said they were retaliating for Saudi strikes, including one on a prison in Hazm in Jawf province on Monday that they said killed at least 23 civilians. The coalition’s spokesman said on Wednesday evening that it would respond to attacks on Khamis Mushait, Abha and Jazan.

Who is on the government side in Yemen?

Tarek Salah, leader of the pro-government National Resistance Forces, said he had moved his command centre on the west coast to a “safe location”, adding that his forces had paid “a heavy price in recent days in the face of a Houthi offensive that was planned and supported by Iran”. Rashad al-Alimi, head of the Presidential Leadership Council, urged Arab states and other countries to help protect Yemen’s coasts. A Yemeni military source told AFP that Houthi fighters had also seized Zuqar Island, about 80km north-west of Mokha, after a rocket barrage and a ground assault using boats.

Frequently asked questions

Who controls Mokha now?

Houthi fighters moved into Mokha on Wednesday night after fierce clashes with Saudi-backed pro-government forces, according to military sources and residents. There was no immediate confirmation of the takeover from the Houthis.

How far is Mokha from the Bab al-Mandab Strait?

Mokha is about 75km (46 miles) from the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the southern gateway to a shipping route that links Asia and Europe.

Have the Houthis threatened international shipping in the Red Sea?

The Houthis said they posed no threat to international shipping, but reiterated their threat to target vessels from Saudi Arabia and kept an embargo on Saudi ships in place.

Where are families displaced from Mokha going?

Displaced families are heading east towards Aden, where Yemen’s internationally recognised Presidential Leadership Council and government are based.

With reporting from BBC News.

Stock image, not from the events described. 210714 Kodiak cargo crane (51325436083) — James Brooks from Juneau, Alaska / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)