ADEN, Yemen — Houthi forces have captured the towns of Mocha and Dhubab along Yemen's Red Sea coast and reached Mayyun, also known as Perim Island, positioned at the narrowest point of the Bab al-Mandeb strait.
The strategic gains grant the Houthi movement leverage over one of the world's most vital maritime corridors. The Bab al-Mandeb strait serves as a chokepoint for international shipping connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
The latest offensive follows a period of de facto ceasefire. A United Nations-mediated truce took effect in April 2022 and formally expired six months later, but Saudi Arabia and the Houthis largely maintained a cessation of hostilities.
During this period of reduced fighting, Saudi and Omani delegations traveled to Sanaa roughly a year after the truce's expiration. In June 2023, direct flights resumed between Sanaa and Saudi Arabia for Yemeni pilgrims undertaking Hajj, the first such flights since 2016. A senior Houthi delegation visited Riyadh in September 2023 for talks aimed at ending the war.
The internationally recognized Yemeni government, backed by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, appeared to view the absence of major fighting as durable peace. Its leaders remained divided, and its armed formations operated under competing commands. The government did not use the pause to rebuild legitimacy, improve governance, or establish a coherent military structure.
The Houthis, by contrast, consolidated their administration, reorganized their forces, expanded their missile and drone capabilities, and initiated recruitment on a large scale across the region.
A 2024 report by United Nations experts estimated Houthi fighting strength at approximately 350,000 fighters in 2024, up from an estimated 220,000 in 2022 and 30,000 in 2015. The expansion involved documented coercion and child recruitment.
The conflict in Gaza also provided a powerful mobilizing cause for the Houthi movement. The issue of Palestine resonates deeply with most Yemenis, transcending many of the country's political, regional, and sectarian divisions.
As the Houthis advanced along the Red Sea coast, nearly 50,000 Yemeni civilians fled their homes.
