Yemeni Houthi rebels attacked the port of Mokha on the Red Sea coast in southwestern Yemen, killing at least seven people and wounding a number that varies across sources, between 35 and 50. The port is controlled by the internationally recognized Yemeni government.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack through a statement published on X. The spokesperson for the Iran-backed armed group described the operation as large-scale and targeted against Saudi troops and weapons depots in the Mokha area. According to a correspondent from the television network Al Arabiya, the port was struck by more than twenty drone attacks and a missile launched at a training center. Local media also report that residential areas were hit, not only military targets.

Mokha is considered a strategic point for access to the Bab el-Mandeb strait, overlooking the Red Sea. The attack raises concerns about the security of maritime routes in the Middle East, particularly after much of Saudi oil traffic was rerouted to the Red Sea corridor following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

In the same hours, the Houthis also claimed a drone attack on the Saudi Aramco oil facility in Jizan, Saudi Arabia. The drone caused a large fire at the facility. The Houthi spokesperson stated that the raid was launched in response to Saudi incursions in northwestern Yemen territory.