- Yemeni media reports Houthi control of Hays and Al-Khawkhah, potentially giving group control over entire Al-Hudaydah province
- Houthi forces reportedly reach strategic Mocha port near Bab al-Mandab Strait after government forces withdraw south toward Lahej
Yemen has seen rapid military developments along its western coast, changing control of key areas as the country continues to face one of the world’s worst humanitarian and economic crises.
Yemeni media reported Thursday that Houthi forces had reached the strategic Mocha port in southwestern Taiz province, near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, after taking control of the Hays and Al-Khawkhah districts in southern Al-Hudaydah province.
The developments, if confirmed, would give the Houthis control over the entire Al-Hudaydah province on the Red Sea, strengthening their position along Yemen’s western coast and bringing them closer to the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Before the reported advance, Hays and Al-Khawkhah were controlled by government forces, particularly the National Resistance Forces led by Presidential Leadership Council member Tareq Saleh.
The developments are part of a rapidly escalating military confrontation between the Houthis and government forces, reviving concerns that the conflict could widen after years of relative calm.
Hays and Al-Khawkhah
The Houthis took control of Hays and Al-Khawkhah following the withdrawal of government forces from the two districts amid intense fighting, according to local sources.
The independent Al-Masdar Online website reported that Houthis had taken control of Hays and Al-Khawkhah in southern Al-Hudaydah, as well as large areas of districts in western Taiz.
It added that the group had reached Mocha port after government forces withdrew south toward Lahej province.
The strategic importance of Hays and Al-Khawkhah lies in their location along Yemen’s western coast. Control of the two districts could allow the Houthis to advance more rapidly toward areas of Al-Hudaydah and Taiz while opening new routes toward coastal areas near Bab al-Mandab.
Toward Mocha
Following the reported withdrawal of government forces from Hays and Al-Khawkhah, Houthi forces advanced toward the strategic city of Mocha on the Red Sea coast, near Bab al-Mandab.
Al-Masdar Online reported that the Houthis had reached Mocha port, while other Yemeni media outlets reported that the group had taken control of the city, coinciding with the withdrawal of government forces toward Lahej.
There was no official comment from the government or the Houthis on the developments in Mocha.
Mocha holds major military significance as it is one of Yemen’s closest cities to Bab al-Mandab, one of the world’s most important maritime passages linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and carrying ships traveling to and from the Suez Canal.
Forces regroup
Earlier Thursday, the 2 December news agency, which reports on the government-aligned National Resistance Forces, quoted Saleh as ordering armed forces along the western coast to “reorganize their ranks.”
Saleh said the western coastal forces, including the National Resistance, Giants Brigades, Nation’s Shield forces and units from the Taiz military axis, had suffered significant casualties in recent days while confronting a Houthi offensive that he said was “planned by Iran.”
He ordered the formation of an alternative command center in a secure location to regroup the forces in consultation with the Arab coalition leadership and Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council.
According to the agency, joint forces had already established a command center south of Mocha in Taiz following Houthi “breakthroughs” across several combat fronts under heavy fire involving various types of weapons.
The media office of the government authority in Al-Hudaydah, meanwhile, said military units operating on the Hays front in southern Al-Hudaydah and western Taiz were being reorganized.
It said the move was part of a plan to organize deployments, redistribute forces, conduct a coordinated field operation and reorganize defense.
Al-Jawf front
The Houthi advance along parts of the western coast came a day after government forces announced that they had captured large areas in Al-Jawf province in northeastern Yemen, near the Saudi border.
On Wednesday, the Yemeni army said in a statement that its forces had captured the Al-Mutahaffat area, Al-Masariya Hill and adjacent hills north of Al-Faraid Hill in the northern Al-Labanat Al-Olya area of Al-Jawf.
It said government forces had also taken control of earthworks and trenches stretching about 20 kilometers from Al-Duhaida positions through Al-Saara to Bir Al-Maraziq, east of Al-Hazm, the provincial capital.
The army said its forces were continuing military operations amid heavy human and material losses among Houthi fighters, claiming that several fighters had been captured or neutralized and others wounded.
It added that government warplanes had carried out targeted airstrikes against Houthi gatherings and positions, destroying several military vehicles and pieces of combat equipment.
Al-Jawf is strategically important because it shares a land border with Saudi Arabia and lies near the Houthi-controlled provinces of Saada, Amran and Sanaa. It also borders the oil-rich provinces of Hadhramaut and Marib, which are under government influence.
The developments come amid Yemen’s broadest escalation since 2022, when a UN-sponsored truce was initiated before the peace process stalled and military confrontations resumed in July.
Map of control
The Houthis control most of northern and western Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and the provinces of Dhamar, Al-Bayda, Ibb and Al-Mahwit, as well as Al-Hudaydah and most of Hajjah and Saada provinces. They also control areas of Taiz, Lahej and Al-Dhalea.
Government forces and their allies, meanwhile, control the interim capital Aden in the south, as well as Al-Mahrah in the far east, Hadhramaut, Shabwa and Abyan, in addition to most of Lahej, Taiz and Al-Dhalea provinces.
Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and several provinces in September 2014, prompting a Saudi-led Arab coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.
