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Iran-backed Houthi rebels take over a strategic port city in Yemen, posing a new threat to shipping

Iran-backed Houthi rebels capture Mokha, threatening global shipping routes and escalating Yemen's ongoing civil conflict.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels take over a strategic port city in Yemen, posing a new threat to shipping
Smoke rises during Houthi missile and drone strikes on the Red Sea port city of Mocha, Yemen, on August 9, 2026.
Smoke rises during Houthi missile and drone strikes on the Red Sea port city of Mocha, Yemen, on August 9, 2026. | Photo Credit: Reuters
The port city of Mokha, an area vital to controlling shipping through the Red Sea, Houthi and Yemeni officials say.
Image from article: Iran-backed Houthi rebels take over a strategic port city in Yemen, posing a new threat to shipping
Mokha, is about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic waterway between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden through which about 12% of the world's oil and other goods are shipped.

The Bab el-Mandeb has become even more important for global energy supplies since shipping through the nearby Strait of Hormuz was disrupted by Iran after it was attacked by the United States and Israel in February.

Image from article: Iran-backed Houthi rebels take over a strategic port city in Yemen, posing a new threat to shipping
The Houthis' takeover of Mokha was confirmed to The Associated Press by Ahmed Baash, a commander with the National Resistance Forces allied with Yemen's government, and Hazam al-Assad, a member of the Houthis' political bureau.

Mokha represents the Houthis biggest territorial gain since a truce signed in 2022 to end a civil war that lasted more than a decade. A return to full-scale civil war would be devastating for the Yemeni people and potentially world energy supplies.

Residents of Mokha have told AP that Houthi Forces can be seen all around the city and that markets have shuttered. Mokha was long held by forces aligned with Yemen's internationally recognised government.

Published - September 10, 2026 09:05 pm IST

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