Yemen’s Mocha Port Severely Damaged by Houthi Drone, Rocket Attack

Warehouses are heavily damaged in the Houthi attack on Mocha port on Saturday. (Twitter)
Warehouses are heavily damaged in the Houthi attack on Mocha port on Saturday. (Twitter)
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Yemen’s Mocha Port Severely Damaged by Houthi Drone, Rocket Attack

Warehouses are heavily damaged in the Houthi attack on Mocha port on Saturday. (Twitter)
Warehouses are heavily damaged in the Houthi attack on Mocha port on Saturday. (Twitter)

The Iran-backed Houthi militias launched on Saturday a major attack, using ballistic missiles and armed drones, against Yemen’s western Mocha port.

The attack took place shortly before a government delegation was scheduled to arrive at the facility to officially relaunch operations there.

The attack severely damaged the warehouses at the port, destroying large quantities of relief aid. No human casualties were reported.

The attack prompted Yemeni activists to call on the legitimate government to suspend the United Nations truce, in place since December and in line with the Stockholm Agreement, and to resume operations to liberate Hodeidah.

Port manager Abdulmalek al-Sharabi said: “The terrorist Houthis targeted the port with four missiles and three drones, causing a fire in tankers and hangars. Other facilities were also damaged.”

He slammed the Houthis for their “criminal act”, which he accused of seeking to obstruct operations at the port, months after the severe damage it incurred during the war – that the militias instigated - was repaired.

The port was ready to receive commercial vessels, he added

Tarek Saleh, the nephew of slain President Ali Abdullah Saleh, tweeted that he had inspected Mocha port and assured that the Houthi “September 11 plot” at the facility has been thwarted.

Since his uncle murder by the Houthis in December 2017, Tarek has been leading a military force, known as the republican guard, that operates along the west coast. The unit, which is part of the Joint Forces, has contributed in the renovation of the port and resumption of its operations that had come to a halt for years due to the battles sparked by the Houthis.

Observers told Asharq Al-Awsat that Saturday’s attack was aimed at obstructing the resumption of operations at Mocha port with the aim of transferring its revenues to Hodeidah port, which is controlled by the militias.

For weeks, the Houthis had warned major businessmen and importers that they need to transfer their operations from the southern Aden port, which is controlled by the government, to Hodeidah. The militias have also thwarted the reopening of roads connecting Aden to regions under their control.

Social media activists called on the government to suspend the Stockholm Agreement in wake of the Mocha attack.

Yemeni political analyst Mahmoud al-Taher said the attack was a clear Houthi message that they were not concerned with peace.

“The Houthis have made up their mind and chosen the military solution in Yemen,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat. Moreover, he remarked that the international community’s failure to deter Houthi terrorist attacks against civilian locations in Saudi Arabia and Yemen only encourages the militias to carry out more assaults.

He explained that the Houthis attacked Mocha because they are concerned that its operation will lead ships to dock there instead of Hodeidah, consequently leading to a drop in the militias’ revenues.



Sudanese Army Recaptures Positions from RSF in El Fasher

Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
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Sudanese Army Recaptures Positions from RSF in El Fasher

Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)

The Sudanese army carried out a surprise military operation in the early hours of Saturday in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, regaining several positions in the city’s far southwest that it had previously abandoned to advancing Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Military sources reported that calm returned to El Fasher after intense clashes on Friday between the army and RSF fighters, who attempted a major offensive to deepen their hold inside the city. In a statement, the army said its Sixth Infantry Division successfully repelled a fresh RSF attack, inflicting heavy losses in personnel and equipment, and restored control over all frontline areas.

RSF militants had infiltrated southern neighborhoods, seizing the Central Security Reserve headquarters and the Shalla prison. According to army sources, these forces were pushed back through ground combat supported by extensive drone strikes, forcing them to retreat to their original positions. The sources confirmed there were no significant breakthroughs or territorial gains by the RSF following the operation.

In a statement on Saturday, Prime Minister Kamel Idris expressed “deep anger, pain, and responsibility” over the worsening humanitarian disaster in El Fasher. He condemned the “suffocating and inhumane siege imposed by the RSF militia,” describing it as “one of the most brutal cases of collective extortion and systematic starvation in recent history.”

Idris vowed that the government would not stand idly by in the face of this “atrocious” crime and pledged to use all political, diplomatic, and humanitarian means to break the siege and ensure urgent aid reaches civilians trapped in El Fasher amid widespread starvation and international silence.

He called on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, along with international and humanitarian organizations, to act immediately to pressure the militia to open humanitarian corridors and end the use of starvation as a weapon against civilians.

The prime minister highlighted the RSF’s refusal to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2736, which demands lifting the siege on El Fasher, and their rejection of UN calls for a humanitarian ceasefire. He held the militia responsible for obstructing aid and accountable for the ongoing starvation and terror inflicted on civilians.

Idris warned against silence over these crimes, including the killing of civilians fleeing the siege and bombardments. He also cited the systematic destruction of hospitals by RSF suicide drone and strategic attacks, threatening the lives of millions of innocent civilians.

“What is happening in El Fasher is a major crime committed in full view and hearing of the world,” he said, urging the international community to move beyond lukewarm statements to real action and pressure on those besieging, starving, and attacking civilians.

The RSF continues to attempt to seize the city and its army base, the last stronghold of government forces across all Darfur states. Military sources said defenders repelled the assault and inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers.

The RSF has maintained a tight siege on El Fasher since May 2024, blocking all roads and supply routes and preventing humanitarian aid from entering, resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths from starvation and medical shortages.