Yemeni security forces escort a bus carrying released Houthi detainees as it arrives in Sanaa on September 12, 2026.
Mohammed Hammoud | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Yemeni government forces say they have retaken the strategic port city of Mokha from the Iranian-backed Houthis, aiming to loosen the insurgents’ grip on the vital Red Sea oil route.
In a lightning advance, the Saudi-backed government announced on Monday that its forces had captured Mokha “after intense fighting with Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist militias” and captured a number of key locations on the coast around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Yemeni government forces also announced that they had launched a “strategic offensive” against the capital, Sanaa, which the Houthis have occupied since 2014.
CNBC could not independently verify the claims. The Houthis reportedly denied that Mr. Mocha had fallen.
Located approximately 75 kilometers (46 miles) north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Moka has historically been known as the region’s major coffee export center and is where the term moka originates.
The port city, along with other key locations, was captured by the Houthis in early September, a development seen as a major blow to Saudi Arabia at the time, given that it greatly increased the likelihood that the Iranian-backed group would take control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, another strategically important oil route on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula, has already disrupted energy markets and sent shockwaves through the global economy.
Along with Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan agreed on Monday to trigger “deterrence measures” and quickly deploy troops to support the oil-rich kingdom and counter attacks by the Houthis in Yemen.
The agreement, signed after an emergency meeting of defense ministers in Riyadh, said the three countries shared a “firm commitment to collective defense” and held a unified position in confronting threats.
On September 12, 2026, a commercial ship anchors off the coast of Yemen in Bab al-Mandeb, a strait that connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
– | AFP | Getty Images
Two Saudi airports were targeted in attacks on Monday night, injuring three people but causing limited damage, Saudi Arabia’s aviation authority said.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) said in a statement shared on social media Tuesday morning that Jizan and Najran airports were targeted in attacks amid rising tensions with the Houthis.
GACA said it is working with relevant authorities to ensure the safety of its facilities and the security of the Kingdom’s civil aviation system.
Energy market tensions ‘likely to continue’
Oil prices fell slightly on Tuesday morning as energy market participants closely monitored the vast Middle East conflict that began with the US and Israeli attack on Iran in late February.
international benchmark brent Crude oil futures due in December were trading 0.3% lower at $100.12 per barrel, briefly falling below $100 in early trading. west texas intermediate Futures expiring in November fell nearly 0.9% to $88.63.
“While there are increasing signs that crude oil flows from the Persian Gulf are recovering, markets remain nervous about potential supply disruptions from the region. This has provided sufficient support for prices for now,” ING energy strategists said in a research note on Tuesday.
“This tension is likely to continue until there are signs of progress on the agreement between the United States and Iran. In the meantime, the risk of further escalation remains very real,” they added.
