Houthis pound Yemen’s Mocha port for 4th day, officials say Iran behind escalation

AL-MUKALLA: Two Houthi missiles struck Yemen’s Red Sea port of Mocha on Wednesday, causing further damage to the government-controlled facility as the Iran-backed militia targeted the city and its strategic port for the fourth consecutive day, local government and military officials said.

Abdul Malik Al‑Shara’bi, director of Mocha seaport in Yemen’s Taiz province, told Arab News that the missiles struck the port, damaging its dock and a tugboat, adding to the destruction caused by earlier strikes.

Local residents and official media reported that gunfire rocked Mocha on Wednesday morning as Yemeni army air defenses confronted a new wave of Houthi drones.

Authorities renewed appeals for residents to stay indoors and avoid windows.

The latest escalation began on Sunday, when the Houthis launched a barrage of missiles and drones at Mocha, striking the seaport, military sites and other locations, killing seven people and wounding 30.

In the following days, the Houthis continued to fire drones at the city, sparking gunfire as local air defense units sought to shoot them down.

Brig. Gen. Sadiq Duwaid, spokesperson for the government’s National Resistance, told Arab News that the two missiles fired on Wednesday brought the total number of drones and missiles launched since Sunday to at least 60, including more than 40 on the first day alone.

“The Houthis launched their largest barrage of missiles and drones since acquiring them. In four days, they launched more missiles at Mocha and civilian areas than they launched at Israel in years,” Duwaid said.

He added that air defense units managed to intercept many of the drones and missiles, and that most of the strikes hit fixed targets such as the port, while failing to achieve their primary goal of destroying government command centers or military sites.

Duwaid added that the Houthis’ continuing escalation in Mocha is linked to the city’s proximity to the Red Sea and its strategic role as the base of the National Resistance.

The coalition’s naval forces and coastguard units have previously used the port city to disrupt Houthi smuggling networks, making Mocha a key target for the militia.

Over the past years, Yemeni naval forces have announced the interdiction of multiple shipments of weapons from Iran to the Houthis, including components for drones and ballistic missiles.

“Since the establishment of the coastguards and the National Resistance’s naval forces, Houthi smuggling operations involving contraband and weapons have decreased by more than 60 percent, and authorities have intercepted numerous large‑scale smuggling attempts,” Duwaid said.

He added that the presence of Yemeni forces along Red Sea islands has also helped foil Houthi patrols and attempts to attack ships.

Duwaid linked the escalation in Mocha to Iran’s confrontation with the US, saying Tehran uses the Houthis to undermine Red Sea security and gain leverage in any talks with Washington.

“The Houthis are an Iranian tool seeking to muddy the waters and create confusion, giving Iran and the Revolutionary Guard an additional bargaining chip in the Red Sea,” he added.

The Houthis have justified their attacks on Mocha by alleging that government forces are massing troops and materiel at the port in preparation for a ground offensive.

Duwaid dismissed the claim, saying the Houthis were fabricating pretexts to rally support for Iran.

“These are excuses because they cannot mobilize people in the areas they control under the guise of supporting Iran,” he said.

The Yemeni army said on Wednesday that it shelled Houthi positions in the southern provinces of Dhale and Taiz, targeting military equipment, outposts and gatherings of fighters.

Gunfire was also heard in Seiyun, Hadramout province, as local air defense units engaged Houthi drones.

In a sign of their mounting battlefield losses, the Houthis held funeral processions on Monday for at least 25 fighters, including officers of various military ranks, in Sanaa, Amran, Hodeidah, Saada, Mahwet and other areas under the group’s control.

Last week, at least 17 Yemeni soldiers were killed and many others wounded when the Houthis launched a barrage of drones and missiles at three military camps in Hadramout and Marib, marking one of the deadliest strikes since the UN‑brokered truce came into effect in April 2022.