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Houthi forces captured the Yemeni Red Sea port city of Mocha on 10 September 2026 after government-aligned forces withdrew.
Mocha was the last harbour fully controlled by Yemen's internationally recognised government; the withdrawing National Resistance Forces described the move as tactical and repositioned south towards Dhubab.
The city lies about 75 km north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the chokepoint linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Suez Canal route.
Fighting has also extended towards the Hanish islands, and over 20,000 people have been displaced across Taiz and Hodeidah in two weeks.
The advance raises the prospect of Iran-aligned forces influencing chokepoints on both sides of the Arabian Peninsula — Bab el-Mandeb and Hormuz.
Zaydi Shia armed movement that controls Sana'a and much of north-western Yemen; widely described as Iran-aligned
Executive body of Yemen's internationally recognised government, formed in 2022; Tareq Saleh, whose forces withdrew from Mocha, is a member
Brokered the 2022 Yemen truce, whose fragile calm this offensive threatens; the Security Council has repeatedly addressed Red Sea shipping attacks
Bab el-Mandeb separates the Arabian Peninsula from the Horn of Africa and joins the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Perim Island splits the strait into two channels. Ships that clear it continue north to the Suez Canal; those that avoid it must round Africa.
Houthis seize Sana'a, triggering Yemen's civil war
UN-brokered truce; Presidential Leadership Council formed under Rashad al-Alimi
Fighting intensifies on the al-Waziyah and Mawza fronts, displacing over 20,000 people
Government-aligned National Resistance Forces withdraw at dawn; Houthis take Mocha
Government forces reposition at Dhubab; Houthi units press towards the Hanish islands
GS Paper II > Effect of policies of developed and developing countries on India's interests; GS Paper I > Important geophysical locations and straits
General Awareness > Maritime security and chokepoints
General Awareness > World geography, straits and ports
A narrow shipping passage whose closure would force long and costly diversions — Hormuz, Malacca, Bab el-Mandeb, Suez and Panama are the principal ones
The 'Gate of Tears' strait between Yemen and Djibouti-Eritrea, linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden
Formal name of the Houthi movement, a Zaydi Shia force controlling Sana'a and much of northern Yemen
Eight-member executive formed in 2022 that heads Yemen's internationally recognised government from Aden