Yemen’s Mokha port has suspended all commercial and maritime operations after being hit by more than 25 missiles in a sustained Houthi assault over recent days, dealing a fresh blow to shipping through the Red Sea corridor that carries roughly 10% of global maritime trade.
The port’s director announced the shutdown on Saturday, confirming seven deaths and an estimated $16 million in damage from the attacks. Mokha sits near the Bab al-Mandab strait, the southern chokepoint for Red Sea shipping and a critical alternative route for Gulf oil exports now that the Strait of Hormuz remains largely disrupted by the US-Iran conflict.
Intensifying Houthi Campaign
Brigadier General Sadiq Duwaid, spokesman for the National Resistance Forces, said the Houthis launched dozens of ballistic missiles and drones targeting Mokha city, its port, and surrounding facilities in recent days. The intensity of the bombardment hindered firefighting operations and prevented ambulance and field teams from reaching the port in the early hours of the attacks, according to military media.
Analysts believe the Houthis shifted to targeting civilian infrastructure after suffering losses on the battlefronts. Government forces said the attacks are aimed at weakening economic activity and depriving residents of essential services. The National Resistance Forces said the port shutdown would further disrupt humanitarian supply lines to millions of Yemenis.
Red Sea Shipping Under Pressure
The closure compounds the strain on Red Sea shipping already elevated since the Houthis entered the broader Gulf conflict on Iran’s side in March. Saudi Arabia has ramped up oil exports through its western Red Sea pipeline at Yanbu to near-maximum capacity of 7 million barrels per day, up from 4.4 million before the war, to bypass the blocked Strait of Hormuz. Mokha’s shutdown raises questions about the resilience of that alternative corridor.
The Houthis also claimed responsibility for a missile attack on a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea on July 28, stepping up enforcement of a maritime blockade against Riyadh. Separately, the rebels said they shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over Yemen on Saturday, with the Pentagon confirming the aircraft crashed.
Sources: Asharq Al-Awsat; Reuters; Associated Press; Gulf International Forum
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