Iranian Guards Guided Houthi Push to Seize Yemen's Mocha, Sources Say
Iranian Revolutionary Guards guidance and arms helped Yemen's Houthis seize the Red Sea port of Mocha, sources say, tightening their hold on Bab el-Mandeb.
The Houthis' rapid advance down Yemen's Red Sea coast this week was carried out with direct guidance from Iran's Revolutionary Guards, according to Yemeni government, Iranian and regional sources, in a campaign aimed at opening a new front in Tehran's wider confrontation with Washington.
By taking the southwestern port city of Mocha, the Houthis have deepened their control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a waterway whose disruption further squeezes global energy supplies already strained by Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Six months into the broader regional conflict pitting the Houthis' Iranian allies against the United States, the group appears intent on consolidating its hold on the strait even as government forces backed by Saudi Arabia press an offensive in the north.
Iran instructed the Houthis last week to step up attacks on Saudi Arabia, a close U.S. ally, and pledged additional funding, weapons and senior officers to support them, two Iranian sources said. Tehran publicly denies giving the Houthis military direction, describing them as an ally rather than a proxy.
Several senior Revolutionary Guards commanders had already travelled to Yemen to oversee and command attacks on Saudi Arabia after weeks of discussions on military strategy, according to a regional diplomat briefed by Tehran. A third Iranian source, an official, said Iran had held several meetings with allies including the Houthis, but characterised the move on Mocha as a Houthi rather than an Iranian decision — while noting it had nonetheless helped Iran by pushing oil prices higher and hurting the United States and Saudi Arabia.
Inside Yemen, five military sources from the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government said the Revolutionary Guards had directed the new coastal campaign in the Tihama, a flat, narrow plain, beginning with a barrage of rocket fire. Citing communications intercepts and accounts from captured Houthi prisoners, the Yemeni military sources said they believed the effort was being led by Abdolreza Shahlaei, a senior Revolutionary Guards commander. Iranian sources could not immediately confirm this, though they have previously said Shahlaei, who serves in the Guards' Qods Force, spent time in Yemen in recent years. The Guards remain able to move weapons and personnel in and out of Houthi areas despite an aerial and maritime blockade, the Iranian sources said, without explaining how.
"If we look at their offensive on the west coast, it's not something prepared just last week or last month," said Ahmed Nagi, Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group, calling the seizure of Mocha a significant milestone in the war. He attributed the Houthis' evolution to new weapons obtained either directly from Iran or through smuggling networks, pointing to their use of drones in the latest offensive.
As the Houthis advanced towards Mocha last week, Yemen's government asked the Saudis for more air support and other assistance, two more Yemeni officials said. It sought a Saudi air campaign against Houthi targets in the group's heartland, including Sanaa, and against strategic assets such as oil depots. Instead, Riyadh limited itself to logistical, armament and intelligence support alongside only limited air strikes focused on the northern frontlines of Jawf and Marib, areas the government considered less important. The officials assessed that Riyadh was keen to avoid a major escalation with the Houthis for fear of provoking heavier drone strikes on Saudi territory. Saudi officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The overall military picture in Yemen is difficult to assess after a years-long pause in major fighting since a 2022 ceasefire. Both Iran and Saudi Arabia have invested in the forces they back, while the pro-government coalition has been weakened by internal splits. Although earlier rounds of fighting in the Tihama produced sudden advances and retreats, it remains unclear whether Saudi-backed forces can easily dislodge the Houthis this time, Nagi said. "Maybe we can see some advances from the government if they get the necessary support from the Saudis. But that could be a bit difficult this time," he said.