MOKHA, Yemen: Houthis seize Mokha after days of fighting with pro-government forces, expanding their presence along Yemen’s Red Sea coast near the strategic Bab Al Mandeb shipping route.
A Yemeni official told The National that pro-government forces had withdrawn from Mokha and redeployed to Dhubab, about 46 kilometres south of the city.
Tareq Saleh, vice chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, said government-aligned forces suffered deaths and injuries during the fighting. He said commanders had established an alternative command centre to regroup their forces.
Mokha lies about 150 kilometres south of Houthi-held Hodeidah and has served as an important base for government forces operating along Yemen’s western coastline.
Its capture gives the Houthis another position overlooking the approaches to Bab Al Mandeb, which links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
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A Houthi commander claimed the group controlled key areas, mountains and high ground around Mokha. He also claimed the city’s fall strengthened Houthi control around Bab Al Mandeb, but does not independently establish control of the strait itself. The advance comes as Houthi attacks have also intensified against Saudi Arabia.
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A Saudi-led coalition said missile and drone attacks on Wednesday injured at least 73 civilians across several cities, while the Houthis said Saudi forces responded with 54 airstrikes in Yemen.
