Yemen’s Frozen War Breaks Open as Houthis Seize Mocha

Yemen’s war has entered its most fluid phase in years, with the Houthis seizing the Red Sea port of Mocha even as forces aligned with the internationally recognised government advance on several inland fronts. The movement of battle lines marks the clearest break yet with the relative military stalemate that followed the 2022 UN-brokered truce.

On Thursday, Houthi forces had taken Mocha, the historic port north of Bab al-Mandeb. Houthi vehicles had entered the city and spread through its streets. Forces commanded by Tareq Saleh, one of the principal anti-Houthi commanders on the western coast, have begun relocating farther south toward Dhubab, directly on the Bab al-Mandab strait and opposite Perim Island, while Houthi forces have also attacked the strategic Hanish islands.

The fall of Mocha reverses much of the momentum government forces appeared to have gained on the western front only days earlier.

The current round began with a Houthi offensive west of Taiz, especially around al-Kadha, aimed at controlling the road linking Taiz city with Mocha. Government-aligned formations, including the Giants Brigades and National Resistance Forces, responded with reinforcements and counterattacks, retaking positions and pushing north from Hays toward al-Jarrahi. But the front remained highly mobile.

By Thursday, the Houthis had pushed through important supply corridors west of Taiz. The Houthis had also claimed control of Hays and the Khalid ibn al-Walid military base. Tareq Saleh acknowledged a strategic withdrawal after hours of heavy fighting.

Mocha’s significance is larger than the city itself. Control of the port does not mean control of Bab al-Mandeb, but it gives the Houthis a much stronger position on the approaches to the strait. Government forces are regrouping around Dhubab farther south, a position critical to preventing the Houthis from dominating the Yemeni side of one of the world’s most important shipping chokepoints.

The city also carries an older global history. Mocha was once the principal export port for Yemeni coffee, and its name survives today in the word “mocha” found on café menus around the world. A port that once connected Yemen to global commerce through coffee is again strategically important because of the shipping lane just offshore.

Al-Jawf Front

Yet the coastal setback has not translated into a general Houthi advance. In al-Jawf, government forces have made some of their most significant gains, taking the al-Labanat military camp east of al-Hazm and advancing toward the provincial capital.

In al-Yatmah, government forces advanced into the area, while the Houthis later claimed to have retaken its market. Government forces also reported taking positions and trenches extending toward Bir al-Maraziq east of al-Hazm.

The importance of al-Jawf lies partly in geography. Sustained government advances there could force the Houthis to defend a broad northeastern arc linking Marib with their strongholds toward Saada, Amran and the approaches to Sanaa. For government forces, al-Hazm is therefore a far more consequential objective than the isolated positions already captured.

Marib Front

Fighting has also intensified in Marib. Government forces said they launched operations on northern and southern fronts, retaking several positions and pushing toward the strategic Mas camp. Some local outlets subsequently reported that the camp had fallen, but larger news organisations had not independently confirmed that claim by Thursday.

In al-Bayda, government forces have advanced from al-Zahir toward Dhi Na’im, taking several hills and positions, while the Houthis retain most of the governorate’s interior.

Secondary fronts have reopened as well. Fighting continues around Murais and Qatabah in al-Dhalea without a major confirmed shift in the lines of control, while local military sources reported a government offensive around Haradh in Hajjah. Their importance lies less in immediate territorial gains than in forcing the Houthis to distribute manpower and equipment across a wider battlefield.

Regional conflict

Houthi missile and drone attacks on southern Saudi Arabia wounded at least 73 people this week, according to Saudi authorities, while airstrikes have hit Houthi positions across Yemen. Reuters reported that more than 20,000 people had been displaced in Taiz and Hodeidah over the previous two weeks.

Government rhetoric has hardened as well. Officials now speak openly of retaking Sanaa, while Presidential Leadership Council chief Rashad al-Alimi has said military operations will continue until state authority extends across the country. The language reflects a striking shift from containing the original Houthi assault to presenting the campaign as a potentially nationwide offensive.

Government forces are advancing in parts of the east and centre, while the Houthis have achieved the more strategically dramatic breakthrough on the Red Sea coast. The critical tests are now al-Hazm in al-Jawf and the Dhubab–Bab al-Mandeb axis in the west. If either side converts local advances into the fall of major cities or strategic corridors, Yemen may be entering not merely another round of fighting, but the first serious attempt in years to redraw the map of the war.