Yemen's Mocha port halts operations after Houthi attacks, port director says

Yemen's Mocha port has suspended commercial and maritime operations after being hit by more than 25 missiles in Houthi attacks over recent days, the port's director said on Saturday.

The attacks killed seven people and caused an estimated $16 million in losses, the director told a news conference.

Mocha is a Red Sea port near the Bab el-Mandab strait, a strategic chokepoint connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and a key route for international shipping.

The port is controlled by forces aligned with Yemen's internationally recognised government. It has a smaller cargo capacity than Yemen's main ports of Aden and Hodeidah.

The escalation in hostilities between the Houthis and the government has come amid heightened regional tensions from the US-Israeli war on Iran.

The Houthis have emerged as a key front in that war, raising the prospect of a return to large-scale conflict in Yemen.

Major fighting in Yemen had largely subsided following a U.N.-brokered truce in 2022, but efforts to reach a lasting political settlement have stalled.