Yemen (WDN) — Yemen’s western front has suffered a dramatic reversal after Houthi forces seized the strategic Red Sea port of Mocha, forcing forces commanded by Gen. Tareq Saleh to withdraw from the city and surrounding positions.

Saleh, commander of Yemen’s National Resistance Forces and deputy chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, has become the focus of conflicting reports about his whereabouts following the Houthi advance.

RT reported claims that Saleh left Yemen by boat for Eritrea, but that account has not been independently confirmed. Reuters reported a different picture, saying Saleh ordered his forces to withdraw from threatened positions and establish an alternative command center in a safer location south of Mocha.

The distinction is important. Reuters’ reporting points to a strategic military withdrawal and regrouping, rather than confirming that Saleh personally fled to Eritrea.

A Major Reversal on the Red Sea Coast

The Houthi capture of Mocha represents a major setback for the Saudi-backed Yemeni forces and a significant change in the military balance along the western coast.

Reuters reported that Houthi forces seized Mocha after a rapid advance and continued moving toward the strategically important Bab al-Mandab Strait. Government forces and their allies have been withdrawing south toward Dhubab, which sits directly on the approach to the strait.

The fighting has reportedly forced Saleh’s forces to abandon positions around Mocha and reorganize farther south.

RT, meanwhile, has reported that Saleh’s forces suffered a rapid defeat in fighting that lasted less than 24 hours. That account, including the reported scale of the military setback, should be treated as RT’s assessment rather than an independently established fact.

Where Is Tareq Saleh?

The most important unresolved question is Saleh’s current location. Reports claiming that he crossed the Red Sea to Eritrea remain unverified. Reuters’ reporting instead indicates that he remained involved in directing his forces’ withdrawal and regrouping.

Until Saleh, his military command or the Yemeni government provides a direct statement, claims about his personal flight to Eritrea should therefore be treated cautiously.

Why Mocha Matters

Mocha’s importance extends far beyond the city itself. Located on Yemen’s Red Sea coast near Bab al-Mandab, the port lies close to one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints. The strait connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean and is critical to international shipping and energy supplies.

Reuters reported that the Houthi advance toward Mocha and the nearby Hanish Islands is bringing the movement closer to a position from which it could exert greater pressure on Bab al-Mandab.

If the Houthis consolidate their control over the western coastline, the consequences could extend well beyond Yemen’s civil war, affecting maritime security, commercial shipping and the wider regional balance.

A Withdrawal, Not Necessarily a Collapse

For Saleh, the immediate challenge is to preserve his forces and prevent the loss of the remaining strategic positions along the coast.

A withdrawal does not necessarily mean the destruction of the National Resistance Forces. It may instead represent an attempt to preserve manpower and equipment and prepare for a counteroffensive. But the loss of Mocha is undeniably a major setback.

The Eritrea story remains unconfirmed. What Reuters has established is that Saleh ordered a strategic withdrawal and that his forces are being pushed south by the Houthi advance.

The battle for Mocha has therefore created a new strategic reality on Yemen’s western coast—and brought the Houthis significantly closer to one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.

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