Houthi attacks halt Yemen's Mocha port

Since August 9, 2026, the Houthis has launched repeated missile and drone attacks on Yemen's Yemen — Mocha port, a Red Sea facility near the Bab el-Mandab strait. The attacks, which the port director Abdulmalik al-Sharabi said included more than 25 missiles, killed seven people (four security personnel and three port employees) and caused an estimated $16 million in damage, damaging six wooden vessels and a dredger. The port suspended commercial and maritime operations, depriving 1,300 workers of income. The attacks coincided with a $130 million port rehabilitation and expansion project. The Houthis said they targeted military gatherings, weapons depots, and military boats, while Yemen's government and the Yemeni National Resistance reported 40 ballistic missiles, 46 drones, and explosive-laden boats. The escalation follows a largely held 2022 truce and comes amid heightened regional tensions from the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg warned of the most serious risk of returning to full-scale war since the truce. The Houthis also declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia in July.