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.
