Yemen's Houthis seize key city on Red Sea

Yemen's Houthis seized control of the strategic Red Sea port city of Mocha on Thursday, with witnesses telling AFP of fighters marching on the area chanting "death to America, death to Israel".

The Houthis, who control large parts of northwest Yemen, launched a large-scale offensive last week against Yemeni government forces, who are backed by Saudi Arabia.

They also launched attacks on Saudi territory that left dozens of people wounded, in a conflict that has reignited during the Middle East war that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.

A Yemeni military source told AFP on Thursday that the Iran-backed Houthis were advancing towards the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait "after having taken control of Mocha".

The waterway, which links Asia to Europe via the Red Sea and Suez Canal, has gained importance as a transit route since the start of the wider Middle East war, which saw Iran blockade the Strait of Hormuz.

The regional war has disrupted maritime traffic in the Gulf, causing oil prices to soar.

On Thursday, the US oil contract WTI surpassed $100, after Brent North Sea crude -- the main international benchmark -- already did so on Wednesday.

The military source said the Houthis also seized Zuqar Island in the southern Red Sea, "after rocket attacks and a ground assault carried out using boats transporting fighters".

In a statement, Tarek Saleh, who heads the Yemeni National Resistance Forces that controlled Mocha, said he moved his command centre "to a safe location" to regroup.

Government forces have paid "a heavy price in recent days in the face of a Houthi offensive that was planned and supported by Iran", he added.

Before the offensive, the Houthis already controlled a large part of Yemen's north, including the capital Sanaa, as well as the major port city of Hodeidah on the Red Sea.

But they did not yet hold any areas directly overlooking Bab al-Mandab.

With their drones and missiles, the Houthis have been able to disrupt traffic in the Red Sea.

But "controlling the coast would strengthen Houthi maritime coercion", said Andreas Krieg, a security expert at King's College London.

The advance of the Houthis in Mocha, as well as in the nearby areas of Khokha and Hays, has driven many people to flee to Aden, where the internationally recognised government is based.

Mohamed, 46, who left Mocha in the middle of the night, told AFP there was an "apocalyptic" atmosphere in the port city -- which gave its name to the coffee blend because of the chocolate undertones of its bean exports.

Mujahid Tahami, who also set off for Aden, said that some families had fallen victim to "looting by gangs as they tried to flee".

Yemen relapsed into war in July after years of relative calm punctured by sporadic violence and deepening poverty.

Since last week, the fighting in Yemen has left more than 500 dead, mostly combatants, according to an AFP tally compiled from several sources.

It has also forced nearly 20,000 people to flee their homes, the International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthis said the group fired ballistic missiles and drones at several cities in southern Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi civil defence issued alerts warning of "potential danger" in two areas, Khamis Mushait and Abha, before lifting them soon after.

On Thursday, the Houthis reported airstrikes.

"The Saudi enemy's air force conducted around 40 strikes in recent hours in the governorates of Taiz, Hodeida, Al-Jawf and Marib," Houthi news agency Saba said.

The hostilities kicked off in July when the Houthis let an Iranian plane land in defiance of Saudi control of Yemeni airspace.

The government retaliated by striking Sanaa airport, an attack the Houthis blamed on Saudi Arabia.

The ongoing exchanges risk returning Yemen to a conflict that left hundreds of thousands of people dead and sparked one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

The Houthis, after seizing Yemen's capital and forcing out the government, fought the Saudi-led coalition from 2015 until a United Nations-brokered ceasefire in 2022.