Yemen’s Houthis seize port city Mocha, closing in on control of Bab el-Mandeb Strait
The advance gives the Houthis a larger Red Sea foothold and raises concern over a chokepoint carrying 6 to 7 million barrels of crude a day, data show.
- On Thursday, September 10, Houthi forces captured the strategic Red Sea port of Mokha, significantly expanding their presence near the critical Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to multiple government and Houthi sources.
- The Houthis secured their largest territorial gain since the 2022 truce, shifting operational focus from desert positions to the western coastline to maximize leverage over international shipping lanes, regional analysts report.
- Global energy markets reacted sharply as Brent crude prices surged past $100 per barrel, reflecting investor concerns over potential disruptions to maritime transit through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which carries roughly 12% of global trade.
- U.N. special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg warned Thursday that intensified fighting signals a 'new and more dangerous phase,' urging the international community to prevent the conflict from destabilizing broader maritime security.
- On Monday, Vice President JD Vance stated the Trump administration is monitoring the situation closely, though officials maintain that U.S. forces will not participate in offensive strikes against the Houthi militia.
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775 Articles
DN DEBATT. The Red Sea region is one of the world's most unstable areas, a geopolitical battlefield with conflicts bubbling in all directions. Last week, Houthi rebels took control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, an economic thoroughfare of greater importance to Europe than the Persian Gulf. Yet we underestimate the risks, write Africa experts Fredrik Meiton and Lisa Boström.
The Bab el-Mandeb passage to the Red Sea is controlled by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. This gives Iran another lever of leverage and could have costly consequences in Europe.
Trump Has His Back to the Wall: Yemen’s Blow and US Midterms
By William Serafino – Sep 17, 2026 In a rapid and strong military offensive on the Yemeni coast of the Red Sea, the political-military movement Ansarallah (the de facto government of Yemen) has gained strategic influence over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a commercial and fuel route whose geopolitical significance has increased exponentially since oil traffic […]
Shia terrorists Houthis tighten grip on Bab el-Mandeb, threaten Saudi oil and Red Sea shipping routes
Yemen’s Iran-backed Shia Houthi group has rapidly expanded its control along the Red Sea coast, capturing Mokha, Dhubab and islands around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The latest offensive has brought the strategic waterway under much greater Houthi influence and created new pressure on Saudi Arabia, whose oil exports and shipping routes are increasingly exposed across the region. The developments come as the wider US-Iran conflict has disrupted tr…
Frustration grows as Huthis widen Middle East conflict with US unwilling to intervene
Dramatic recent advances by the Iran-backed Huthis, including the seizure of a strategically important island in the Red Sea, have dealt another blow to a region reeling from the US war with Iran and exacerbated an already severe global energy crisis. But neither the US nor its key ally Saudi Arabia has a clear plan to beat back the group, multiple sources told CNN, leading many in the region to ask where the counteroffensive will come from.
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