In brief
Airstrikes were reported by Houthi media to have hit the Yemeni port city of Mocha, blamed on Saudi planes, and no casualties were initially reported. The attack came amid a surge of Houthi gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. The event underscores the ongoing conflict that began in 2014 and escalated with a Saudi‑led coalition in 2015.
Airstrikes were reported by Houthi-run media on Wednesday to have struck the port city of Mocha in Yemen’s Taiz province, with no immediate casualties.
al‑Masirah TV accused ‘Saudi aggression warplanes’ of carrying out a series of strikes, targeting the local security command headquarters and other sites where Houthi forces had recently deployed.
Local residents told Xinhua that powerful explosions were heard across the city as the warplanes struck areas of military activity.
Saudi officials did not respond to the report, and no casualties were reported at the time.
The Houthis seized Mocha on Sept. 10 during a rapid southward advance along Yemen’s Red Sea coast; they have since captured nearby Bab al‑Mandab and Mayyun Island.
Yemen has been in conflict since 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sana’a and much of northern Yemen; a Saudi‑led coalition intervened in 2015 to support the internationally recognized government.
Mocha sits on a key trade route in the Red Sea, and its port handles ships navigating between Europe, Asia, and the Gulf. Control of the city has strategic implications for regional shipping lanes.
The Houthis claim that the strikes target their positions, while Saudi sources say safety measures were taken.
