Houthis seize Mocha port, tightening grip on Red Sea shipping chokepoint

Along the ancient shores of the Red Sea, a militia born of Yemen's long civil war has seized the port of Mocha, drawing the world's most vital shipping lanes into an expanding contest between Iran and the West. The Houthis' advance — the most consequential territorial shift since a 2022 ceasefire — is not merely a local military event but a move on a much larger board, one where the flow of oil and commerce between continents hangs in the balance. In the space of five days, 276 lives were lost and more than two thousand square miles changed hands, reminding the world that the quiet of a ceasef