Yemen's Mocha port halts operations after Houthi attacks, port director says
The attacks killed seven people and caused an
estimated $16 million in losses, the director told a news conference. Mocha is a Red Sea port near the Bab
el-Mandab strait, a strategic chokepoint connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf
of Aden and a key route for international shipping. The port is controlled by forces aligned with
Yemen's internationally recognised government. It has a smaller cargo capacity
than Yemen's main ports of Aden and Hodeidah. Yemen's government said on Friday the Houthis fired
six ballistic missiles at Mocha that day, killing at least four civilians and
targeting civilian, economic and maritime facilities. The
Houthis said they targeted a military build-up of weapons and warships
belonging to Saudi-backed forces in Mocha. The escalation comes amid heightened
regional tensions from the US war on Iran and has raised concerns about a
return to large-scale conflict in Yemen. Major fighting in Yemen had largely
subsided following a UN-brokered truce in 2022, but efforts to reach a lasting
political settlement have stalled.
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