The Houthi militia has targeted Mokha port in western Yemen with missiles and drones, Yemeni military sources said on Sunday, marking a new escalation in the country by the Iran-backed group.Director of the Mokha port told Al Arabiya English that port workers have been wounded in the Houthi attack on the facility.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The sources told Al Arabiya English that at least four explosions rocked the city of Mokha, coinciding with the attack on the port.
The attacks killed at least four troops and injured 20 more personnel, two military sources told AFP.
The initial toll came from strikes on the Yemeni city of Mokha and surrounding areas, as well as Khokha, south of the port city of Hodeida, the sources said on condition of anonymity, after the Houthis announced they had targeted military forces and equipment on the Red Sea coast.
More than 20 drone attacks
According to an Al Arabiya correspondent more than 20 Houthi drone attacks targeted the port, adding that a training center was also targeted by a Houthi missile.The correspondent also said the Houthi missile strikes on Mokha were launched from the areas of al-Hawban and Maqbanah, noting that Houthi drones continue to fly over Mokha after army air defenses shot down several of them.The Houthi’s military spokesman Yahya Saree said that the militia had carried out a military operation targeting concentrations and weapons depots in the Mokha area.Mokha port holds a strategic importance due to its location on Yemen’s western coast and its proximity to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s most important maritime routes.The port had previously come under Houthi attacks, including a September 2021 attack involving a ballistic missile and five drones, according to the Yemeni government. The attack damaged operational facilities and food warehouses.Read more: Yemeni military strikes Houthi targets after Marib, Hadramawt attacks
