Context: Houthi forces seized Mokha Port + Perim (Mayun) Island from Yemen’s internationally recognised government.

About Mokha Port

• Location: Taiz Governorate, Yemen → Red Sea coast, ~75–80 km north of Bab el-Mandeb.
• Historical importance → 15th–17th centuries → major global trade hub + chief export point for Yemeni coffee → origin of “Mocha”.
• Modern port → Established in 1955 → logistics + military hub between Aden and Hodeidah.
• Houthis (Ansar Allah) → Shia Islamist political-military movement in northern Yemen → aligned with Iran’s “Axis of Resistance”.
• Perim/Mayun Island → Divides Bab el-Mandeb into a wider western shipping channel + shallower eastern channel.

Red Sea & Bab el-Mandeb

• Red Sea → Connects Indian Ocean ↔ Mediterranean Sea via Suez Canal; bordered by Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia + Yemen.
• Bab el-Mandeb → “Gate of Tears” → chokepoint connecting Red Sea ↔ Gulf of Aden ↔ Arabian Sea.
• Strategic importance → Southern gateway to Suez Canal → crucial route for global trade + energy shipments.