Iran-backed Houthi rebels take over a strategic port city in Yemen, posing a new threat to shipping
Iran-backed Houthi rebels have seized Mokha, a strategic port city in Yemen, which is crucial for controlling shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This takeover marks their largest territorial gain since a 2022 truce and poses a significant threat to global energy supplies. The move follows recent disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, further complicating maritime trade.
Why it matters
This development escalates regional tensions, threatens international maritime trade routes vital for oil and goods, and risks reigniting a full-scale civil war in Yemen, with severe humanitarian and economic consequences globally.
The Iran -backed Houthi rebel group on Thursday (August 10, 2026) took over Yemen's port city of Mokha, an area vital to controlling shipping through the Red Sea, Houthi and Yemeni officials say.
Mokha, is about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic waterway between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden through which about 12% of the world's oil and other goods are shipped.
The Bab el-Mandeb has become even more important for global energy supplies since shipping through the nearby Strait of Hormuz was disrupted by Iran after it was attacked by the United States and Israel in February.
The Houthis' takeover of Mokha was confirmed to The Associated Press by Ahmed Baash, a commander with the National Resistance Forces allied with Yemen's government, and Hazam al-Assad, a member of the Houthis' political bureau.
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