Yemen Says It’s Retaken Mocha as Battle for Bab El-Mandeb Looms

Yemen’s armed forces wrested control of the Red Sea city of Mocha on Monday after battles with the Iran-backed Houthis, according to state-run Saba, which puts the internationally recognized government closer to taking over the vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

(Bloomberg) -- Yemen’s armed forces wrested control of the Red Sea city of Mocha on Monday after battles with the Iran-backed Houthis, according to state-run Saba, which puts the internationally recognized government closer to taking over the vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The Yemeni forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, have snatched back the port city from the Houthi group one day after announcing a full-scale military campaign to recapture all territory held by the militia. 

The Houthis had controlled Mocha since early September as they embarked on a military campaign against Saudi Arabia in recent months, ending a 2022 ceasefire. The city is located about 180 kilometers (112 miles) south of Hodeida, another stronghold of the militant group.

Seizing Mocha helped the Houthis tighten control on Bab el-Mandeb, a narrow chokepoint between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden that Saudi Arabia had been using to export oil and bypass the Strait of Hormuz, which has become a battlefield in the US-Iran war.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan on Monday agreed to the immediate “implementation of the collective defense commitments” during an emergency meeting of their defense alliance in Riyadh. The three countries, which signed a defense pact in August, will ensure the provision of “military forces and capabilities and ensure their rapid deployment in the Kingdom,” according to a joint statement. 

The meeting reaffirmed “solidarity in confronting the heinous attacks against the Kingdom and the holy sites,” Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman said in a posting on X. The Houthis recently attacked Saudi Arabia’s Madinah, one of Islam’s holiest cities, the Saudi-led coalition said in early October.

The coalition said it’s providing air support for Yemeni ground forces during the ongoing operation, with 100 fighter jets participating in the military campaign early Monday. Its air forces also protect Bab el-Mandeb, the coalition said.

The Houthi escalation against Saudi Arabia in recent months resulted in damage to energy infrastructure and tankers. The group said it stepped up attacks as its cities and ports are under “siege” from the Saudi government.

Yemen’s government forces also started an offensive on Sanaa Monday, according to its military spokesperson. The Yemeni forces have repeatedly struck the capital, which the Houthis have controlled since 2014, over the past days.

Saudi Arabia “reiterates its full political and military support for the Presidential Leadership Council,” headed by Rashad Al-Alimi, “to end the coup and retake the state and its institutions from the Houthi militia,” the kingdom’s Foreign Ministry said.

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