Yemen's Houthis seized control of the strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha on Thursday and were advancing towards the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a Yemeni military source said.
Witnesses said they saw Houthi forces entering the city while chanting "death to America, death to Israel".
The city which has been held by Yemen’s internationally recognised government has been under sustained attack since early August, when more than 25 missiles struck it in a matter of days and forced port operations to halt.
The Yemeni government is yet to publicly confirm Mokha has fallen.
The Houthis, who control about one-third of Yemen's territory — albeit the most densely populated parts — are vying to seize and potentially disrupt the narrow waterway which links Asia to Europe via the Red Sea and Suez Canal.
