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Iran-backed Houthi rebels seize strategic Red Sea port in Yemen

Written and edited by the WorldPing NewsdeskPublished Updated Original reporting: NPR
Iran-backed Houthi rebels seize strategic Red Sea port in YemenWorldPing
Image via NPR.

What happened

The rebel group took over Yemen's port of Mokha, an area vital to controlling shipping through the Red Sea, Houthi and Yemeni officials said.

Mokha is about 50 miles from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Key facts

  • Mokha is about 50 miles from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
  • Reported by NPR and published Fri, 11 Sep 2026 05:40:21 UTC.

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Coverage timeline

When each newsroom published on this story, oldest first — all times UTC.

  1. Houthi rebels take key Red Sea city in Yemen, as Iran’s wartime leverage grows

  2. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels seize strategic Red Sea port city of Mocha

  3. Middle East live: Yemen’s Houthis seize key island in Bab al-Mandab strait

  4. Iran-backed Houthi rebels seize strategic Red Sea port in Yemen

  5. Iran-backed Houthi rebels take strategic port city in Yemen, raising threat to Red Sea shipping

  6. Iran-backed Houthis seize key port in Yemen, advance on another vital oil choke point

  7. Houthis take control of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, key shipping route

Sources

The original report was published by NPR. WorldPing does not claim that reporting — this page summarises and contextualises it.

Read the full report at NPR

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