Iran-aligned fighters capture Yemen port near vital global trade route
(TNND) — Houthi rebels seized Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Mocha on Thursday, a move that pushes the Iran-aligned group closer to one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints and heightens fears of fresh disruption to global shipping and energy supplies.
The takeover forced Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces to withdraw, according to the notes. Yemeni government military sources also said the Houthis advanced toward strategic islands in the Red Sea.
Mocha is about 46 miles from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow waterway connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. It is a major route for cargo, oil and other energy shipments moving between Asia and Europe.
MOCHA, YEMEN – SEPTEMBER 22: Buildings lay in ruins on September 22, 2018 in Mocha, Yemen. The city was retaken from Houthi rebels in early 2017, part of Yemen’s Saudi-led coalition-backed military campaign that has moved west along Yemen’s coast. (Photo by Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images)
The Houthis are an Iran-aligned rebel group that has fought Saudi-backed government forces in Yemen’s civil war for more than a decade. Fighting intensified again in recent months, with Houthi drone and missile attacks on Saudi targets followed by Saudi-led strikes in Yemen.
Saudi authorities said a large Houthi attack Tuesday injured 73 civilians and sparked fires at oil facilities, temporarily halting operations. A conflict-monitoring group recorded at least 276 deaths in fighting across Yemen from Sept. 3 through Sept. 7.
The capture of Mocha raises fresh concerns about Red Sea shipping while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, another critical oil route, remains limited by the U.S.-Iran war. Brent crude rose above $105 a barrel on fears that the conflict could further disrupt global energy supplies.