Yemen's Houthis seize strategic Red Sea city of Mocha

Yemen's Houthis have delivered a significant blow to the Yemeni government by seizing the strategic Red Sea city of Mocha, expanding control over the Bab al-Mandeb strait, one of the world's most important trade routes. The Iran-backed group took over Mocha on Thursday while internationally recognized government forces withdrew, sources told Al Jazeera's Yemen correspondent, Yousef Mawry. Three Yemeni government sources also confirmed the city had been taken. The strategic district of Hais was also seized in the operation. Yemen's government forces have yet to issue an official confirmation. Over the past 10 days, the Houthis have been trying to push west of Taiz with the objective of taking over Mocha. The Houthis were also nearing complete control of other coastal cities that sit directly along the strait as they push to take over the whole Yemeni Red Sea coast. The capture of Mocha means the Houthis control the port and the Bab al-Mandeb strait, giving them significant influence over international trade. According to Wolfgang Pusztai, a defense analyst, seizing Mocha is a major development that puts the Yemeni rebels in a position to cut off the road leading to Taiz, in a very significant blow against the government. The Houthis could control the Bab al-Mandeb strait just with artillery, making it a major threat to Saudi Arabian shipping and international shipping. Yemen's ambassador to Qatar, Rajeh Badi, accused Iran of reigniting the war after a lull of about five years and using the Houthis to tighten its grip on Red Sea shipping routes. Badi described the relationship between Iran and the Houthis as no longer a secret, stating that the group is one of Iran's key regional arms. Tehran is doubling down on the Houthis as its remaining lever, according to Badi. The Houthis are not only proxies of Iran but also fighting their own war, according to Pusztai. As part of the Houthis' offensive against Yemen's Saudi-backed government, the group has staged attacks on oil facilities and civilian infrastructure deep inside Saudi Arabia.