Yemeni Forces Capture Mocha as Houthi Units Face Encirclement in Rural Taiz

Yemeni government forces have captured the coastal city of Mocha in western Taiz Governorate following intense fighting with Houthi forces, marking a significant battlefield development along the Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab theater.

Yemen’s official Saba News Agency reported that forces from the Nation’s Shield, Giants Brigades and Tihama Resistance, backed by the Popular Resistance and air support, took control of Mocha on Monday after clashes with Houthi forces that had held the city since early September.

A military source cited by Saba said fighting took place at several locations around Mocha and involved various types of weapons. According to the source, the clashes left Houthi fighters killed and wounded, while a number of others were captured and some fled the city.

The source added that government forces are continuing to pursue remaining Houthi elements and clear neighborhoods, facilities and recaptured positions in order to secure the city against any remaining Houthi pockets.

The capture of Mocha came shortly after field sources told Sheba Intelligence that Yemeni army forces had reached the Wajihah area, about 10 kilometers from Mocha port, as part of a wide flanking maneuver launched from the Kahboub Mountains toward Dhubab.

According to the sources, forces advancing along this axis had seized Dhubab Airport and pushed forward along the coastline overlooking Bab al-Mandab, allowing them to expand operations northward toward Mocha after securing key positions along the coastal axis.

The sources said this advance coincided with a major shift in the battlefield situation in rural Taiz, where Houthi forces positioned in the southern countryside of Al-Shamayatayn District now face the risk of encirclement after the Al-Sharirah road, which links their movements toward the coast, was cut.

Eyewitnesses told Sheba Intelligence that a large number of military vehicles had begun moving toward Rasin. One source said it remained unclear whether the forces were withdrawing or moving in an attempt to break the encirclement and relieve pressure on Houthi units in the Al-Sharirah area.

The sources added that other Houthi groups that had penetrated several areas of Taiz during the previous offensive, including Al-Turbah, Al-Muqawamah and Al-Zakirah, had withdrawn toward Rasin. The sources said some of these forces may later attempt to move toward Al-Wazi’iyah to avoid being surrounded.

According to the sources, these developments could ease pressure on forces of the Taiz Military Axis and allow them to redirect operations toward areas seized by the Houthis over the past two days in the southern countryside of Taiz, before expanding their advance westward toward the coastal areas and linking up with government forces now operating in and around Mocha.

At the same time, the army continues to attack Houthi positions that the group had used as forward operating and staging points during its recent operations, including positions in Al-Aqrud. Eyewitnesses also reported the withdrawal of several Houthi military vehicles from the same front, indicating growing pressure on those positions.

Field information indicates that the Houthis continue to shell Jabal Han with missiles and other projectiles in an attempt to ease pressure on their forces across the Taiz fronts and disrupt further government attacks on the western Taiz fronts.

The simultaneous movements along the Kahboub–Dhubab–Mocha axis and across rural Taiz indicate an effort by the Yemeni army to link forces advancing from the coast with units from the Tur Al-Bahah and Taiz military axes, while cutting movement and supply routes used by Houthi forces that advanced in recent days across southern and western Taiz.

The capture of Mocha also places Houthi forces that had previously advanced into parts of rural Taiz under greater pressure, as their routes toward the coast narrow and some units face an increased risk of isolation or withdrawal under fire.

The operations are part of the broader “Dawn of Yemen” (Fajr al-Yemen) military campaign announced by the Yemeni government to restore state institutions, retake Houthi-held territory and advance toward the capital, Sana’a.