Houthi forces captured Yemen`s Red Sea port city of Mocha, moving closer to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and pushing Brent crude above $105 a barrel as fears of shipping disruption grow.

Houthi forces captured the Yemeni Red Sea port city of Mocha on Thursday, pushing the Iran-aligned group closer to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and renewing fears of disruption to one of the world's most important maritime chokepoints.

The takeover forced Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces to withdraw south of the city after suffering casualties, according to three Yemeni government officials who spoke to Reuters. The Houthis advanced on Mocha as fighting with government forces intensified along Yemen's western coast, threatening to return the country to full-scale war after a fragile United Nations-brokered truce largely halted major combat in 2022.

Photos and videos circulating on social media appeared to show Houthi fighters inside the city, though the footage could not be immediately and independently verified.

Why Mocha matters

Mocha sits on Yemen's Red Sea coast roughly 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Bab el-Mandeb, the narrow waterway separating Yemen from Djibouti and Eritrea. The strait connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and forms part of the shortest maritime route between Asia and Europe via Egypt's Suez Canal. About 12 percent of global trade normally passes through it.

The capture does not give the Houthis control of the strait itself. But it improves their position along Yemen's Red Sea coastline and adds leverage over vessels approaching the chokepoint. Yemeni military sources told Reuters that Houthi forces had also advanced toward the strategic Hanish Islands, located between Yemen and Eritrea, and that government forces were relocating toward Dhubab, a coastal district beside the strait, to try to block further gains.

Energy markets react

Brent crude rose above $105 a barrel on fears the conflict could further disrupt global energy supplies. The advance comes as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely limited by the U.S.-Iran war. Ship-tracking data showed only seven vessels crossed Hormuz on Wednesday, half the recent ten-day average.

Saudi Arabia has grown more dependent on its Red Sea facilities as a result. Crude and condensate loadings from the Yanbu terminal reached as much as 3.7 million barrels per day in early September, according to estimates cited by Reuters. Those shipments must travel south through the Red Sea and pass Bab el-Mandeb to reach buyers in Asia.

Escalation on multiple fronts

The Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in July and have stepped up drone and missile attacks on the kingdom. Saudi authorities said a large Houthi attack on Tuesday injured 73 civilians and sparked fires at oil facilities, temporarily halting operations. A conflict-monitoring group recorded at least 276 deaths in fighting across Yemen from September 3 through September 7.

The Houthis said Red Sea navigation remained safe for shipping companies other than those connected to Saudi Arabia.

The International Monetary Fund in 2025 estimated that Red Sea disruption had cut Suez Canal revenues, prompting shipping lines to route around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope at higher fuel and time costs. Earlier this year, the Houthis signaled they might impose transit fees on Red Sea shipping, a move analysts warned would set a precedent for other armed groups controlling maritime chokepoints.

Regional context

The Houthis have controlled Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and large parts of the country since 2014. The renewed fighting is taking place against the backdrop of the wider conflict between Iran and its regional opponents, adding another layer of risk to the Red Sea corridor.

Whether the Houthis can convert their coastal gains into lasting leverage over Bab el-Mandeb traffic remains uncertain. Control of a mainland port is not the same as control of the waterway, and international naval forces have previously intervened to keep the route open.