Yemen's Houthis close in on stranglehold over strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait

To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Cover image: © France 24 01:33 Issued on: 10/09/2026 - 12:33 Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis seized control of ​the historic port city of Mocha on Thursday, four Yemeni government military sources said, gaining further leverage over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world's most important shipping routes. There has been an escalation in fighting between Saudi Arabia's Yemeni allies in the internationally backed government and the Houthis in recent ⁠days, creating a second theatre of war in the Iran conflict that threatens global energy supplies.