Houthis reach Bab el-Mandeb after seizing Mocha port

Houthi forces have reached the Yemeni town of Dhubab, directly on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, following their seizure of the strategic Red Sea port city of Mocha. Two Yemeni government sources confirmed the advance to Dhubab on 11 September, according to Reuters. The development brings Houthi forces to a strategically important position overlooking one of the world’s most critical shipping chokepoints. The latest advance follows the Houthis’ capture of Mocha on 10 September as the group pushed south along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. Houthi advance increases pressure on key shipping route Dhubab sits directly on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and opposite the Yemeni island of Perim, also known as Mayyun.