Iran-backed group reiterated they would target vessels from Saudi Arabia after seizing the Red Sea port city
By
As clashes intensify, Yemen’s Houthis have claimed full control of the key port city of Mocha at the southern tip of the Red Sea.
In the last 48 hours, the Houthis have made major advances down Yemen’s west coast. The Houthis have said they pose no threat to international shipping, but said they would target vessels from Saudi Arabia.
‘The Yemeni government tried to put up a fight; they called reinforcements … but the overwhelming military pressure of the Ansar Allah Houthis eventually [led to them taking] over the port and the city itself,’ said Al Jazeera’s Yemen correspondent Yousef Mawry.
Related reads…
A Yemeni military source said that the Houthis were advancing toward the Bab al-Mandab strait ‘after having taken control of Mokha‘. The strait links Asia to Europe via the Red Sea and Suez Canal. In recent months, it has gained significant strategic importance as a transit route after Iranian-led blockades on the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi Arabia has relied on the Red Sea route for trade following Iran’s restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz.
The military source also added that the Houthis have seized Zuqar Island in the Red Sea ‘after rocket attacks and a ground assault carried out using boats transporting fighters’.
Residents of Mocha said Houthi fighters moved into the city after clashes with pro-government forces on Wednesday, leading to thousands being displaced and having to flee their homes. Many have fled to Aden, home to the internationally recognised government.
The Houthis claim on the city of Mocha is the latest phase in clashes between Houthis and Saudi Arabia, after the Yemeni group attacked energy installations and cities in Saudi Arabia with drones and ballistic missiles.
Yemen’s foreign minister, Afrah al-Zouba, has sent a message to the UN Security Council, calling for a firm international stance on Yemen’s western coast.
The UN Security Council held an emergency session on Yemen this Thursday (10 September) following Houthi strikes wounding 73 civilians in Saudi Arabia. Special envoy Hans Grundberg called on the Houthis to cease attacks in Yemen, South Arabia, and on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
According to a Yemen specialist at the London-based security think tank Royal United Services Institute, the situation in Yemen is ‘spiralling out of control’. Since last week, more than 500 people have been killed after fighting in Yemen.
