Yemen's Houthi rebels have captured the port city of Mokha on the country's western coast, eyewitnesses and military sources said on Thursday, as fighting between government troops and the militia intensifies in strategically important areas on the Red Sea.
If confirmed, this would hand the Iran-backed Houthis control over a key access point to the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea. The Houthis have so far not commented on the reports.
Government forces and their allies have transferred their equipment and weapons to an area south of Mokha as part of a reorganization of troops, military sources told dpa.
Videos shared on social media and outlets affiliated with the Houthis reportedly show Houthi fighters patrolling throughout the city. It was not possible to independently verify the footage.
The Houthi-controlled Saba news agency reported that "hostile groups" on the west coast had been driven out. Sources within the militia told dpa that the Houthis had also reached areas in the strait's immediate vicinity, including the islands of Hanish and Zukar.
But sources within the government, recognised internationally, stated that the islands remained in the hands of the Resistance Forces.
Earlier, the chairman of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, said the situation in Mokha had stabilized following the fighting.
He said an amnesty was offered to "misguided fighters" who laid down their arms and "came to their senses."
Eyewitnesses had previously told dpa that many residents were leaving Mokha fearing further escalation. The Houthis already control key transport hubs in the area.
The Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out more than 60 air strikes across several provinces within 24 hours.
The Houthis have been fighting Yemen's Saudi-backed government for more than a decade. A 2022 truce left the conflict largely frozen, with no major fighting, but also with little prospect of an end to the war.
The conflict has flared up again amid the wider war involving Iran.
Mokha is located just north of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the most important shipping routes for the global oil and gas trade besides the Strait of Hormuz.
From Mokha, the Houthis could attack and block shipping traffic in the Red Sea even more systematically than they have done so far.
Since the start of the Iran war, the strait has been used as an alternative trade route to compensate for disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.