ADEN, Yemen (AP) — Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have entered Yemen's strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha, several residents said Thursday, which could bring them closer to targeting shipping through a critical waterway to the Red Sea.
If confirmed, the development is significant because taking the city would put the Houthis closer to their goal of targeting shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb, a crucial waterway linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden
and the Indian Ocean. Mokha is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the strait.
The Bab el-Mandeb has served as an important shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran's six-month war with the United States and Israel has choked off most commercial ship traffic. Continued fighting in the strait this week sent oil prices above the $100 per barrel.
Mokha long had been held by forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
Two residents and three local doctors told The Associated Press that Houthi forces had entered the port city.
Resident Amin al-Mohammdi said the Houthis had fanned out across intersections in Mokha. All roads from the west coast leading to Mokha have been closed, and shops were shut, he said. Another resident, Mohamed Salem, reported seeing vehicles belonging to Houthi forces in the streets.
Three doctors told the AP they fled a Mokha hospital after it was seized by the Houthis. The doctors spoke on condition of anonymity, citing fears for their safety. They said other residents were fleeing south, toward the city of Aden, which is controlled by the Saudi-backed forces.
The AP could not independently verify the claims.
The Houthis have fought a civil war with the country's internationally recognized government that started in 2014. The fighting now threatens a fragile truce that took effect in 2022.
The Houthis recently made advances in the western province of Taiz, where Mokha is located, according to Ahmed al-Mawazi, a trooper with the Yemeni armed forces, and Abdel Kader al-Sharabi, a member of the Saudi-backed forces supporting the Yemeni government.
Both said the rebels had seized control of the al-Shaqira area, an important supply route connecting the city of Taiz, the provincial capital, and other inland areas to Yemen’s western coast.
Meanwhile, Yemeni government forces launched airstrikes targeting Houthi reinforcements west of Taiz, they added. Clashes also continued along Yemen’s western coast, particularly in the direction of the southern part of the key port city of Hodeida. The fighting has taken place near crucial supply routes.
Houthi-controlled Al-Masirah TV claimed that Saudi-backed forces launched 40 airstrikes in recent hours in Taiz, Jawf, Hodeida and Marib provinces. The AP couldn’t independently verify the claim. There was no immediate comment from the government forces.
