Houthis Seize Mokha in Rapid Western Yemen Offensive

Yemen’s Houthis have captured Mokha and taken control of roughly 2,600 square kilometers across the country’s western coast, delivering one of the war’s sharpest territorial shifts in years.

Government-aligned forces abandoned Mokha and neighboring districts on September 10 after a week-long offensive spanning western Taiz and southern Al-Hudaydah. The retreat left the Houthis in control of a broader stretch of the Red Sea coastline.

Mokha Falls After Rapid Advance

The offensive began on September 3 with coordinated attacks across Maqbanah, Al-Kadaha, Jabal Habashi and Mawza in western Taiz, alongside operations farther north in southern Al-Hudaydah.

Missiles, drones and artillery supported the ground assault as Houthi forces sought to sever the Taiz-Mokha road and advance toward the coast.

Clash Report

Government forces mounted counterattacks in several areas, temporarily retaking hills and positions around Hays. Those gains did not prevent a broader withdrawal on September 10.

Presidential Leadership Council forces and Tareq Saleh’s National Resistance pulled out of Al-Makha, Hays and Al-Khawkhah districts, moving south toward Dhubab near the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Roughly 2,600 Square Kilometers Change Hands

The territorial sweep covered Al-Makha District in Taiz Governorate and the Hays and Al-Khawkhah districts in Al-Hudaydah Governorate.

Al-Makha covers roughly 1,570-1,617 square kilometers, while Hays accounts for about 262 square kilometers and Al-Khawkhah for an estimated 560-813 square kilometers.

Together, the captured territory amounts to roughly 2,600 square kilometers.

Other locations taken during the advance included Al-Wazi'iyah, Mawza and the Khalid ibn al-Walid military camp.

A Key Government Hub is Lost

Mokha had remained under government and coalition control since it was retaken from the Houthis in early 2017.

The city subsequently became a central base for the National Resistance and one of the main military and logistical anchors for government-aligned forces on the western coast.

Its loss removes that foothold while pushing Houthi-held territory farther south along the Red Sea.

Mokha had already faced repeated Houthi missile and drone attacks beginning in August. Those strikes killed more than a dozen people, sank vessels, damaged port facilities and forced operations to stop.

Pressure Moves Toward Bab Al-Mandab

Mokha lies about 65-75 km north of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, placing the Houthi advance closer to one of the main shipping corridors connecting the Red Sea with waters farther south.

The offensive also gives Houthi forces a stronger position along the coastline after government troops consolidated around Dhubab and areas nearer the strait.

The Houthis presented the operation as a response to what they described as Saudi military buildups.

The broader campaign also unfolded amid renewed Houthi attacks on Saudi-linked shipping and wider regional tensions involving Iran.

Western Front Remains Fluid

Fighting caused hundreds of casualties across both sides and displaced thousands of civilians from Taiz and coastal areas.

Government-aligned forces opened additional fronts in Al-Jawf and Al-Bayda in an effort to divide Houthi resources.

Those moves did not reverse the western coastal offensive, which remained the most consequential territorial change of the fighting as of September 10.

PLC forces were consolidating around Dhubab and the approaches to Bab al-Mandab as the front continued to shift.