Houthi rebels are advancing into Red Sea coastal areas near the strategically vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait amid escalating clashes with Saudi-backed Yemeni forces. Several analysts report that the Iran-aligned group has succeeded in its attempt to seize the port city of Mocha on the southern Red Sea coast. Some sources claim the Houthis have already captured the city.
Control over Mocha would grant the Houthis a second major port in the region, further strengthening their influence over the waterway. The group has already disrupted shipping and impacted oil markets through its control of the port of Hodeidah and other territories near the strait.
Bjorn Beyrens, a maritime security consultant, said that the capture of Mocha “certainly could impact maritime security in the region.” He added that the city could serve as a staging ground for further Houthi advances to the south, potentially allowing them to establish near-total control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Houthi attacks impact the oil market
Amid their ground offensive, the Houthis continue to launch missile and drone strikes against cities in southwestern Saudi Arabia, damaging energy infrastructure. Saudi Arabia reported that recent Houthi attacks have left 73 people injured across several regions, including women and children.
The fighting has contributed to rising oil prices this week, with Brent crude exceeding $105 per barrel on Thursday. The situation is also compounding challenges for Persian Gulf producers, who are already grappling with shipping disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Houthis claim their attacks are in retaliation for dozens of strikes by Saudi-backed forces on territories they control in northwestern Yemen, as well as a de facto Saudi blockade of some of their ports and airports. The Houthi advance along the coast could draw Riyadh deeper into the conflict and heighten tensions with Iran.
The latest round of tensions began in mid-July, when the Houthis declared a naval blockade of Saudi Red Sea ports and began attacking several of them, including Jizan and Yanbu. Yanbu became a primary export route for Saudi oil after Iran attempted to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz more than six months ago, following the outbreak of war with the U.S. and Israel.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen responded with strikes on Houthi targets in Hodeidah and other areas. In August, Yemeni government forces attacked Houthi positions using drones. According to Amr al-Bidh, special representative of the Southern Transitional Council, a separatist movement in Yemen, this marked the first time they had deployed such sophisticated weaponry.
The Houthi-backed Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Thursday that the Saudi bombing campaign “forced the armed forces to take necessary measures to counter it.” Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan dismissed the latest Houthi attacks as “desperate” and claimed the group is attempting to export its internal economic problems.
Houthis may approach the narrowest part of the strait
According to the UN, the fighting along parts of Yemen’s western coast has already forced 18,500 people to flee their homes.
Andrew Farrand, director for the Middle East and North Africa at the consulting firm Horizon Engage, said the Houthi advance along the coast could bring them to “strategically important territory” in the narrowest part of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. He described the development as a “major setback” for Saudi Arabia’s efforts in Yemen.
The Houthis emerged in the 1990s following the unification of North and South Yemen and subsequently led a series of uprisings against the government. In 2014, they seized the capital, Sanaa, triggering an ongoing civil war. In 2015, Saudi Arabia led a failed military campaign aimed at ousting the rebels.
Source: Bloomberg
