Aden (South24 Center)

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The Houthi militia seized the strategic Red Sea coastal city of Al-Mokha on Thursday (September 10), following a rapid advance along Yemen’s Western Coast that forced government-aligned forces to withdraw south toward Dhubab and the areas leading to the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait.

Local and field sources told South24 Center that Houthi forces entered Al-Mokha following the withdrawal of government forces and units of the Joint Forces from the city.

A video circulating online showed a Houthi vehicle driving along one of Al-Mokha’s main streets, providing further indication that the group had established a presence inside the city.

#AL_MOKHA

A circulating video shows a Houthi vehicle entering the main street in Al-Mokha#south24 pic.twitter.com/HIUgD8yVm9

— South24 | English (@South24E) September 10, 2026

Separately, Reuters cited four Yemeni government military sources as confirming that the Houthis had seized Al-Mokha, marking one of the group’s most significant territorial gains along the Red Sea coast in years.

The sources added that government forces and their allies were repositioning farther south toward Dhubab as the Houthis continued their advance toward the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait.

The Associated Press also cited two Al-Mokha residents as saying that Houthi forces had entered the city and deployed at several intersections.

One resident said roads leading into the city from the Western Coast had been closed and shops had shut their doors, while another reported seeing Houthi military vehicles in the city’s streets.

The fall of Al-Mokha followed a major battlefield shift over the preceding hours, as the Houthis advanced into areas of southern Al-Hodeidah and western Taiz following the withdrawal of government-aligned forces from a series of positions.

Field and military sources said Houthi forces seized several areas and strategic positions during their advance, including Al-Wazi'iyah, Khalid bin Al-Walid Camp, Hays, Al-Khawkhah and the Al-Mokha junction, before reaching Al-Mokha itself.

EFE reported that government-aligned forces had earlier withdrawn from Hays before Houthi forces took control of the district.

Citing witnesses and a source in the Giants Brigades, the agency added that convoys belonging to the National Resistance, the Giants Brigades and the Nation’s Shield Forces were later seen moving south from Al-Mokha, while some units redeployed in the Dhubab area.

The latest advance has brought the fighting significantly closer to the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait, the narrow maritime passage connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

Al-Mokha lies around 80 kilometers north of the strait, according to the Associated Press.

Reuters also reported that the Houthis had launched attacks on the strategic Hanish Islands in the Red Sea.

According to the government military sources cited by the agency, government forces and their allies were moving south toward Dhubab, while control of the areas surrounding Dhubab and Perim Island is strategically important for access to the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait.

The developments represent a major shift in the balance of territorial control along Yemen’s Western Coast. Bab Al-Mandeb is one of the world’s most important strategic maritime corridors, forming the southern gateway to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal and carrying oil, fuel and commercial cargo between Asia, the Gulf, Europe and the Mediterranean.

Reuters, citing Yemeni government data, reported that hundreds of women and children left Al-Mokha for Lahj and Aden on Thursday in search of shelter. It added that more than 20,000 people had been displaced from areas of Taiz and Al-Hodeidah over the past two weeks as the fighting intensified.

Following the battlefield setbacks, Vice President of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Tareq Saleh ordered Western Coast forces to regroup and reorganize their ranks.

According to the National Resistance’s military media, Saleh said forces operating along the Western Coast — including the National Resistance, the Giants Brigades and the Nation’s Shield Forces, alongside units from the Taiz Military Axis — had sustained casualties while confronting the large-scale Houthi offensive.

He also ordered the establishment of an alternative command center at a secure location to oversee the regrouping and reorganization of the forces in consultation with the leadership of the Arab Coalition (Saudi Arabia) and the Presidential Leadership Council.

Yemeni media later reported that the new command center had been established in Dhubab District, south of Al-Mokha and closer to the Bab Al-Mandeb area.

The Houthi seizure of Al-Mokha represents the group’s most serious battlefield breakthrough along the Western Coast since the current offensive began, bringing it closer than at any point in recent years to areas directly overlooking the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait.