Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have seized control of the historic port city of Mocha, four Yemeni government military sources said, gaining further leverage over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world's most critical shipping routes.

The advance is part of a broader Houthi offensive along the Red Sea coast and through the mountain chains of Taiz province, edging the group closer to strategic ground overlooking one of the world's most vital maritime arteries.

Fighting between the Houthis and forces loyal to the internationally recognised Yemeni government has escalated sharply in recent days, opening what observers describe as a second theatre of war with potential consequences for global energy and food supplies.

Yemen's Ambassador to Qatar, Rajeh Badi, a former government spokesman, said in an interview that his government and its armed forces had not violated any truce since 2021, and described the Houthis as "the aggressors".

"What we are seeing now is a surprise Houthi offensive to seize strategic ground along the Red Sea, in order to allow Iran, through its Houthi proxy, to tighten its grip on maritime routes," Badi said.

He added that the Houthis, who have advanced on Mocha and al-Waziyah as well as large stretches of the mountain chain overlooking the Red Sea in Taiz province, "want commanding positions to launch more effective strikes on ships and disrupt navigation in the Red Sea".

Badi said the Yemeni government responded by opening fronts in al-Jawf, Marib, and al-Bayda, warning that the consequences could extend far beyond Yemen's borders.

"We are now facing a real threat that does not stop at Yemen's borders," he said. "It threatens the entire region and the world. If the Houthis manage to choke maritime traffic in the Red Sea, we will be looking at another Hormuz in these waters — with potentially even greater impact."

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. To the north, the Red Sea leads to the Suez Canal, while farther east lies the Strait of Hormuz — another critical global chokepoint. The Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb, Badi said, "represent a vital artery for global shipping, for both energy and food supplies".

The conflict has also drawn in Saudi Arabia. Major-General Turki al-Maliki, spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, said the Houthis on Wednesday attacked the Saudi cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha, and Jizan with ballistic missiles and drones. He did not provide details on casualties.

Badi said those attacks are designed to reframe the nature of the war. "By targeting Saudi territory, civilian infrastructure in the kingdom's south, and Saudi-linked vessels in the Red Sea, the Houthis are trying to drag Saudi Arabia into their war. Their calculation is simple: they want to rebrand this conflict as a Saudi-Yemeni war," he said.

The ambassador assessed that "every time their militias suffer heavy losses inside Yemen at the hands of the Yemeni armed forces, they respond by firing missiles and drones at civilian sites in Saudi Arabia, in an attempt to inflame Yemeni public opinion and convince the outside world that Yemen is at war with Saudi Arabia".

Badi pointed to Iran as the architect of the broader regional confrontation. He said Tehran's relationship with the Houthis is now impossible to conceal.

"Iranian officials openly boast about it, and Houthi leaders proudly talk about their 'strategic' ties with Tehran," he said, adding that the Houthis are "one of Iran's key regional arms — just like Hezbollah in Lebanon or the Popular Mobilisation Forces in Iraq".

Footage released by Houthi media claimed to show attacks on Saudi-coalition forces on the front lines in al-Jawf province on September 9, 2026.