Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces said Monday they had retaken Mocha and much of the coast around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in a rapid counteroffensive against the Iran-aligned Houthis, reversing significant territorial gains made by the group in September.
Government forces, supported by heavy Saudi air strikes, also reported capturing key positions in Dhubab district and cutting supply routes toward the strategic waterway.
The Houthis rejected the government's claims.
Government sources said troops reached the outskirts of Mocha late Monday as Houthi fighters retreated toward the highlands, while Yemen's Defence Ministry said the port city had fallen.
The Saudi-led coalition said 100 fighter jets were supporting Yemeni forces and that hundreds of Houthi targets had been struck to secure air protection over Bab el-Mandeb.
Government forces also announced operations on several fronts, including what they described as a strategic offensive in Sanaa province.
The Houthi-run health ministry said strikes in Sanhan and Sa'wan districts killed two people and wounded seven.
Control of the Bab el-Mandeb area has become increasingly significant after Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz restricted Gulf energy exports and intensified pressure on another major global shipping route.
Despite reported government gains along the coast, the Houthis advanced around Taiz, with government military sources saying the group gained sections of a mountain road and pushed into al-Turbah.
Some government sources disputed claims that the road had been severed or that Houthi forces had made those advances.
The Houthis also threatened attacks on air traffic in Saudi airspace as fighting continued across multiple fronts.
The renewed conflict has deepened Yemen's humanitarian crisis, with the UN migration agency reporting 184,000 people displaced since fighting resumed.
The developments coincided with talks in Riyadh involving Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish officials, where political engagement with the Houthis was expected to be discussed alongside the expanding military campaign.