Houthi forces seized the Red Sea port city of Mocha on September 10 after days of fighting along Yemen's western coast, placing the group approximately 75 kilometres north of the Bab el-Mandeb strait [2][5][11]. The internationally recognised Yemeni government confirmed the fall of the city, with three government sources telling Reuters the Iran-backed group is closing in on the strategic strait [14]. The capture marks the Houthis' largest territorial gain since the 2022 UN-brokered truce [7][17].
Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdul Salam described the offensive as a national operation to assert Yemeni sovereignty, stating that navigation and trade in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb remain safe and uninterrupted [2][11]. The Houthi-run humanitarian operations co-ordination centre said Red Sea navigation is safe for all shipping companies except Saudi vessels, which remain subject to a previously declared ban [6][13][34]. Yemen's Supreme Political Council asserted its right to defend Yemen's sovereignty and territorial waters while reassuring the international community that navigation in the Red Sea remains safe [5]. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf posted on X that "the brave Yemeni people will certainly triumph, by the permission of God Almighty," and the source noted a prior statement by the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressing hope that Yemen's "jihad" and resistance would continue until victory [18].
Yemeni government figures and US representatives described the assault as an Iranian-orchestrated operation. Deputy head of the Presidential Leadership Council Tariq Saleh said his forces paid "a heavy price in recent days in the face of a Houthi offensive that was planned and supported by Iran" and ordered a strategic retreat south of Mocha to regroup [4][5][11][22]. Yemen's ambassador to Qatar Rajeh Badi said Iran's use of the Houthis to tighten its grip on Red Sea shipping routes was "no longer a secret" [2]. US representative Jenifer Neidhart de Ortiz told the UN Security Council that the Houthis act as "agents and tools of Iran" and that "this escalation is unacceptable, and those who enable it bear responsibility for its consequences" [6]. Reporting citing Iranian and regional sources said Iran's Revolutionary Guards directly guided the Houthi advance, with Tehran telling the Houthis to escalate attacks on Saudi Arabia and promising more funding, weapons and senior officers [24][13].
Iranian officials rejected accusations that the movement operates as a proxy. A senior Iranian official, responding to a Saudi warning conveyed through Pakistan, said "Iran does not control the Houthis" [9][13][34]. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Yemen's Houthis act independently and take orders from no one, and accused Washington of driving regional instability through its military presence and hegemonistic policies [18].
Defence and regional analysts assessed the capture as a strategic turning point. Defence analyst Wolfgang Pusztai called the fall of Mocha "a turning point right now in the war" that could break down government forces in southern Yemen, noting that the Houthis could dominate Bab al-Mandeb with artillery alone [2][19]. Sana'a Center researcher Maysaa Shujaa Al Deen said the Houthis are very close to controlling the strait, especially Mayun island, where they could lay mines or fire missiles to obstruct all maritime transit toward the Suez Canal [9]. Maritime security analyst Corey Ranslem of Dryad Global said the Houthis "have pulled off a military victory that puts them one step closer to be in full control of the Bab el-Mandeb" [26]. The Institute for the Study of War assessed that the Houthis are attacking Saudi Arabia's ability to export oil in order to raise Saudi political and economic costs to an untenable level [8][21].
Saudi Arabia and coalition officials described the Houthi missile and drone attacks on southern Saudi cities as a dangerous escalation. Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki said the coalition will respond "responsibly" to protect Saudi sovereignty, national assets and civilians [23]. Saudi authorities said Houthi drones and missiles injured 73 civilians and caused fires at oil facilities, leading to a temporary halt in operations [5][9]. Saudi Arabia launched as many as 40 airstrikes on Houthi targets [11], while Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed Saudi warplanes carried out 64 strikes across Taiz, Hudaydah, Marib and Jawf in 24 hours [5][16]. Saudi Arabia is weighing whether to activate the Mecca defence agreement with Pakistan and Turkey [11][2]. Pakistan conveyed a Saudi warning to Tehran urging it to restrain its Houthi allies, and said the Mecca Defence Alliance could become operational if attacks on Saudi territory persist [2][9][13].
The disruption is inflicting costs on shipping, energy markets and consumers. Brent crude rose as much as 4% above $105 a barrel and the US diesel average surpassed $6 a gallon for the first time [6][13]. Suez Canal transits fell from 26,895 vessels in 2023 to 14,070 in 2025, and Saudi crude shipments from Yanbu fell to 1.5 million barrels per day in August after Houthi attacks on Saudi shipping resumed in July [8][21]. War-risk insurance premiums rose from about 0.05% to over 1% of hull value [37], and tanker traffic through the strait declined [36]. King's College London security expert Andreas Krieg said "the biggest danger is not necessarily physical closure of Bab al-Mandab but persistent uncertainty" [8][21]. German shipping line Hapag-Lloyd stated that the Red Sea has only limited importance for its own network [38], while reporting indicated China held direct talks with the Houthis to ensure its tankers pass safely through the southern Red Sea [39]. World Bank Chief Economist Indermit Gill warned that global growth could fall as twin shocks to energy chokepoints unfold [38].
The offensive is exacting a civilian toll in casualties, displacement and lawlessness. The International Organization for Migration said nearly 20,000 people had fled their homes since the fighting escalated [22]. Residents fleeing east toward Aden described apocalyptic scenes; one resident, Mujahid Tahami, said some families had fallen victim to looting by gangs as they tried to flee [22]. Yemeni Joint Forces reported Houthi shelling of civilian sites in Jabal Habashi and the road linking Taiz with Aden, with civilian casualties [20]. The Houthis said they were retaliating for Saudi air strikes including one on a prison in Hazm that they said killed at least 23 civilians [5], and Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported 32 killed in Saudi strikes on Al Jawf over two days [23]. Acled estimated 276 fatalities over five days [11], while Prothom Alo cited at least 194 killed and 880 wounded in two weeks of fighting across multiple provinces [15], and France 24 reported more than 500 dead [22].
UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg warned the Security Council that Yemen faces "a new and more dangerous phase" and called for "the active investment of every member of this body to contain what could be the precipice for a far more dangerous conflict" [2][6][13][22]. The UK convened an emergency Security Council meeting and called on it to "send a clear and consistent message: the Houthis must de-escalate, cease their attacks, and return to a path towards peace" [22]. Russia condemned the Saudi strikes but cautioned against pinning the crisis solely on the Houthis, blaming the stalled UN-led political process [2]. US President Donald Trump said he expects the war with Iran to end immediately after the November midterm elections because "they can't hold out any longer. They're desperate to try and affect the election" [6][9][11][13].
Government forces are repositioning south of Mocha, with Tariq Saleh establishing an alternative command centre and the media office of government authorities in Al-Hudaydah saying units are being reorganised ahead of a coordinated field operation [4][19]. Yemen's government has not confirmed the fall of Mocha and maintains that its troops' withdrawal is a reorganisation plan [9]. Reports said the Houthis had also seized or reached the Hanish and Zukar islands [1][6][13][17], though Yemeni government circles denied these accounts [17].