Key facts
- Yemeni government forces said they struck Houthi fighters and destroyed weapons and vehicles on Saturday.
- The targets were in the strategic Red Sea city of Mocha and on the Mocha-Dhubab road.
- The Houthis captured Mocha on Friday after a week-long offensive.
- The Houthis now hold the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital artery for Saudi Arabian oil exports.
- The fall of Mocha drove many residents to flee to Aden.
- US President Donald Trump stated the Houthis do not want to fight the US.
Yemeni government forces announced on Saturday that they had struck Houthi fighters and destroyed their weapons and vehicles in the strategic Red Sea city of Mocha and on the Mocha-Dhubab road. The announcement comes after the Houthis captured Mocha on Friday, following a week-long offensive that has cemented their control over the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a crucial route for Saudi Arabian oil exports.
The spokesman for the Yemeni government’s armed forces, Majed Abdullah al-Nazili, stated that government forces had also targeted Houthi vehicles and fighters on the Mocha-Dhubab road, just outside the city. Nazili had previously said on Friday that government forces had begun shelling areas in Mocha and urged citizens to avoid the Taiz-Mocha and Mocha-Dhubab roads.
The capture of Mocha by the Houthis on Thursday led many residents to flee to Aden, where Yemen's internationally recognized government is based. Houthi media reported that two Saudi strikes hit Mocha's airport on Friday, while a local official stated that the city's seaport was struck by six missiles of unknown origin.
US President Donald Trump commented on Saturday that the Houthis had contacted the US and indicated they did not wish to engage in conflict. The Houthis have recently resumed attacks on ships in the Red Sea after declaring a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia. Their ground offensive, launched last week, has resulted in over 500 fatalities and displaced approximately 76,000 people, according to the UN migration agency. Yemen's civil war began in 2014 with the Houthi takeover of Sanaa, and a truce established in 2022 collapsed in July.