Aden: Yemen's Houthi group seized the strategic Red Sea port city of Mocha in southwestern Taiz province on Thursday amid a rapid advance toward the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key international shipping route, a military official told Xinhua.
Houthi forces entered Mocha after hours of intense fighting, forcing government troops to withdraw south toward Dhubab, a coastal area between Mocha and Bab al-Mandab. The clashes along Yemen's western coast have displaced thousands of families, local officials said.
The capture of Mocha marks a major battlefield shift and brings the Houthis closer to the narrow maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. Mocha is about 70 km north of the strait's narrowest point.
State-run Saba news agency reported around 40 Saudi airstrikes across Taiz, Hodeidah, Al-Jawf and Marib provinces. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea separately claimed Saudi warplanes conducted 55 strikes over 12 hours.
The Houthis vowed retaliation but provided no details on casualties or damage. Saudi Arabia did not immediately comment.
The reported strikes followed Houthi missile and drone attacks on southern Saudi Arabia, including energy facilities and a military air base. Saudi authorities said 73 people were injured and fires broke out at several facilities. (IANS)
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