By SCM International Desk I Thursday, Sept 10, 2026
SANAA/WASHINGTON — Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) have taken control of the strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha and are rapidly pushing south toward the Bab al-Mandab Strait, according to military sources and regional reporting on Thursday.
A Yemeni military source told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that troops secured the vital coastal hub and immediately began advancing toward the narrow choke point that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Eyewitnesses in Mokha reported seeing YAF personnel entering the streets of the city, chanting “Death to America, death to Israel” as they established control.
Reports from the ground indicate a sudden shift in local military command. Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Yemen highlighted accounts confirming that the top Saudi commander in Mokha withdrew his command structure and retreated to the southern port city of Aden ahead of the advance.
Despite the operational movements on the ground, official channels in Sanaa have maintained tactical silence. As of Thursday afternoon, no formal government statement had been issued confirming full control over Mokha, though field developments point to a rapid collapse of opposing positions along the western coast.
The fall of Mokha represents a critical shift in the broader conflict over Yemen’s western coastline and control of global maritime routes.
Located on the southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, Mokha is a historically significant trade center that directly guards the approach to the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The narrow waterway serves as one of the world’s most sensitive maritime chokepoints, handling roughly 12% of total global trade and millions of barrels of crude oil daily traveling through the Red Sea to the Suez Canal.
Control over Mokha gives the Yemeni Armed Forces an advantageous launching pad to project power across the Red Sea maritime corridor. Saudi-backed forces and foreign coalition personnel had long maintained a presence in Mokha to buffer the approach to Aden and secure commercial shipping channels.
The withdrawal of Saudi military leadership to Aden highlights the growing fragility of the anti-Sanaa coalition’s positions along the coast.
If YAF consolidates its hold on Mokha and secures the Bab al-Mandab Strait, it will gain substantial leverage over international trade lanes, heightening naval tensions with international maritime coalitions and escalating the broader geopolitical crisis across West Asia.
