Israeli media reports Houthi forces seize Mocha Port, escalating risks to Red Sea shipping.

BlockBeats news, September 10, according to Israeli i24 News, on Wednesday, the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces announced that they had made significant progress in the northern and central desert regions and appeared to have broken through the Houthi defense lines. But in reality, the Houthis merely redeployed their forces and voluntarily abandoned open areas in order to seize the more important western coastal region.

By early Thursday, after a large-scale retreat by the Yemeni government forces, the Iran-backed Houthis had taken control of the strategically significant coastline and the port of Mocha in Hodeidah province. Therefore, rather than one side achieving an overwhelming rapid offensive, it was more like a territorial exchange: the Houthis gained a strategically significant coastline along the Red Sea. This will enable the Houthis to pose a more direct threat to shipping in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, while also further increasing the security threat to Saudi Arabia.