Yemeni pro-government forces say they retook Red Sea port Mokha from Houthis

Yemen's pro-government forces say they have captured the Red Sea port city of Mokha from the Houthi movement. According to BBC News, the Yemeni military said National Shield, Giants Brigades and Tihama Resistance forces took the city on Monday afternoon with the help of Saudi air strikes. The military also said it had "secured" the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include independent verification of either claim. An Anadolu Agency headline also reported the recapture of Mokha. Its full text and sourcing were not available to Vocemundi. According to BBC News, there was no immediate Houthi comment on Mokha.

The offensive

On Sunday, Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen's internationally recognised Presidential Leadership Council, announced an offensive called Operation Yemen Dawn, according to BBC News. Its stated aim is to retake all Houthi-held territory. It followed reports that the Houthis had cut a mountain road near Taiz, effectively surrounding government forces and residents there. The government said operations began on other fronts on Monday, including Sanaa. The reports do not describe the situation on those fronts.

Last month, according to BBC News, the Houthis ousted pro-government forces from areas overlooking the strait, including Mokha, Dhubab and Perim (Mayyun) Island. BBC News reported that this contributed to a surge in global oil prices. Saudi Arabia had been relying on the Red Sea for oil exports since the US and Israel's war with Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz.

What is disputed

The Yemeni military said it seized Dhubab airport, 45km south of Mokha, and was besieging Houthi fighters in the nearby town. Houthi-run media denied any government advances in Dhubab.

What each side says

• Al-Alimi said all opportunities for de-escalation had been exhausted. He urged forces to continue "until the country is liberated from the grip of the Houthi terrorist militia".
• The Saudi-led coalition said its jets were giving "round-the-clock" air support and had destroyed 324 "high-value" targets.
• Houthi-run Al Masirah TV said Saudi strikes killed a schoolgirl and a woman in Sanaa on Monday.
• Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdul Salam said Saudi Arabia was committing "dozens of massacres" and must "bear all the consequences".
• The Houthis said they fired missiles and drones at Saudi Aramco facilities in Riyadh and Khurais in retaliation for Saudi strikes. According to BBC Verify, satellite imagery showed smoke at both sites.
• The Houthis said they pose no threat to international shipping but will keep targeting vessels from Saudi Arabia.

The reports do not include independent verification of the coalition's target count or Al Masirah's casualty report.

Toll and context

Yemen's government health ministry says at least 959 people have been killed and 5,000 injured since 6 August. The UN says 197,000 more people have been displaced, according to BBC News. An informal four-year ceasefire began to unravel in July, when the Houthis announced a "maritime embargo" against Saudi Arabia. Yemen's civil war began in 2014.

Analysis

The central claim rests mainly on the Yemeni military's own statement, and the reports reviewed by Vocemundi include no independent confirmation of control of Mokha or the strait. If government forces do hold the coastline, pressure on Red Sea shipping routes could ease. Contested control, or continued Houthi strikes on Saudi oil sites, could sustain market volatility. The Houthis say they will target only Saudi-linked vessels, but that is a stated intention, not an outcome. Rising casualty and displacement figures suggest humanitarian needs may grow regardless of which side gains ground. Independent verification from the coast will be key to assessing the situation.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.