Iran war live: Houthis advance near Red Sea coast threatening Bab al-Mandeb
The Houthis’ main goal in their offensive against Yemen’s Saudi-backed government was to take the strategic city of Mocha, giving the Iran-aligned group a stranglehold along the Bab al-Mandeb, a critical shipping lane for international trade.
Another objective is to cut off key supply lines used by the internationally recognised government including:
- The road linking Mocha with Taiz.
- Routes running south from Mocha that supply government-aligned forces.
- Supply lines through Mocha’s port, which has served as a critical logistics hub for anti-Houthi forces on Yemen’s western coast.
The capture of Mocha, therefore, deprives government-aligned forces of a major asset while giving the Houthis a much stronger position close to the Bab al-Mandeb.
This is also why the Houthis are now pushing south from Mocha. According to reports, their advance is facing little resistance after government-aligned forces withdrew from their positions.
If that continues, it could pave the way for the Houthis to seize more territory along the coast and move closer to Bab al-Mandeb, while increasingly threatening shipping in the crucial Red Sea trade route.