Houthi gains deepen Yemen’s Red Sea crisis
The reported seizure of Mocha has intensified fighting between the Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government, straining a fragile ceasefire framework.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement has reportedly seized the Red Sea city of Mocha and expanded its control along the coast near the Bab al-Mandeb strait, according to Al Jazeera Global News. The reported advance marks a renewed escalation in a conflict that had remained relatively calm after a UN-brokered ceasefire largely held from 2022.
Fighting has also been reported in Marib, Taiz, Lahj, al-Jawf and al-Bayda. Yemen’s army said 13 soldiers were killed during two days of clashes in Taiz and Lahj, although claims about military developments and casualties have not been independently verified here.
The Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014, prompting Saudi Arabia to lead a military intervention the following year in support of the internationally recognised government. That government is represented by the Presidential Leadership Council, established in 2022 and backed by Riyadh.
A proposed 2023 roadmap towards a permanent ceasefire was never formalised. The latest fighting therefore underscores the limits of the existing political framework, while reported Houthi control over parts of the Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandeb raises wider concerns over a major maritime route.
The conflict has displaced more than 112,000 people inside Yemen, while close to 3,000 have fled to Djibouti, according to the United Nations. The International Organization for Migration estimates that 22 million Yemenis are in urgent need of humanitarian aid.
