RismadarVoice Reporters
September 11, 2026
Iranian weapons and military guidance helped Yemen’s Houthi rebels seize the strategic Red Sea port city of Mocha, according to Yemeni, Iranian and regional sources.
The rapid Houthi advance along Yemen’s western coast has strengthened the group’s position around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a major global shipping route linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
Two Iranian sources said Tehran instructed the Houthis last week to intensify attacks against Saudi Arabia, a key United States ally, and promised additional funding, weapons and senior military personnel.
A regional diplomat briefed by Tehran said senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders had travelled to Yemen to oversee and direct Houthi operations targeting Saudi Arabia.
Iran, however, has publicly denied directing the Houthis’ military activities and maintains that the group is an independent ally rather than a proxy.
Five military sources within Yemen’s internationally recognised, Saudi-backed government said Iranian Revolutionary Guards directed the latest Houthi campaign along the Tihama coastal plain. They said the offensive began with an intense rocket attack.
The Yemeni sources, citing intercepted communications and information from captured Houthi fighters, identified senior Revolutionary Guards commander Abdolreza Shahlaei as a possible figure directing the operation. Iranian sources did not immediately confirm the claim.
Iranian sources also said the Guards had continued moving weapons and personnel into and out of Houthi-controlled areas despite an air and maritime blockade.
Yemen analyst Ahmed Nagi of the International Crisis Group said the capture of Mocha was a significant development and reflected the Houthis’ growing access to advanced weapons, including drones.
The Saudi-backed Yemeni government had requested additional air support from Riyadh as the Houthis advanced towards Mocha. Yemeni officials said the government sought strikes against Houthi targets in Sanaa and other strategic locations.
Saudi Arabia instead focused much of its military support on logistics, weapons and intelligence, with limited air strikes concentrated on northern battlefronts in Jawf and Marib provinces.
Officials said Riyadh appeared reluctant to launch a major escalation against the Houthis because of concerns that it could trigger increased drone attacks on Saudi territory.
The wider military situation remains difficult to assess following a relative lull in Yemen’s conflict since a 2022 ceasefire. The Saudi-backed coalition has also faced internal divisions.
Nagi said it remained uncertain whether government forces could push the Houthis back from the Red Sea coast without significantly increased Saudi support.
The Houthi capture of Mocha nevertheless gives the group greater leverage over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, potentially adding further pressure to global shipping and energy markets amid the wider regional conflict.
