Yemeni government forces have recaptured the strategic port city of Mokha from the Houthis, according to a live update The National published October 6, 2026. The city’s return to government hands marks a notable shift on a front where an Iran-aligned armed group has held ground and menaced a vital stretch of coastline.
The fighting didn’t stop at Mokha. The same update reported that a Saudi-led coalition said 100 jets took part in a Sunday offensive. The source doesn’t give a calendar date for the strike, and it doesn’t detail the targets or results. A hundred aircraft in one operation signals how seriously the coalition now treats the Houthi threat.
The Security Picture
The update’s headline carried a statement attributed to Rubio: Saudi Arabia has the right to defend itself from the Houthis. The fetched page text didn’t provide his full name, title, or a direct quotation, so the precise wording and context of his remarks remain unclear. What the headline does establish is that Washington is publicly framing Saudi self-defense as a legitimate right, not an act of aggression.
That framing matters because of what’s on Riyadh’s agenda. According to the update, countries party to the Makkah pact would meet in the Saudi capital, with Houthi attacks listed for discussion. The source offers no further detail on which states are involved, when the meeting will convene, or what measures might be considered. Still, the gathering suggests Riyadh is seeking collective backing rather than acting alone.
The Iran Dimension
The live update places the Yemen fighting inside what it calls the Iran war. Two other items on the page point to pressure on Tehran and a shifting American posture. Iran’s oil minister had resigned, the update said, though it gave no reason. The United States had also pulled bombers from a base in England a week after five people were arrested. The source doesn’t say who the five were, what they were accused of, or whether the arrests and withdrawal were connected. It supplies no calendar dates for either event.
Readers should treat those two items carefully. The update lists them alongside the Yemen developments without explaining any link. The oil minister’s resignation and the movement of bombers are reported as facts; the source draws no conclusions about cause or effect.
What Comes Next
Several questions remain open. The base reporting doesn’t say whether the Houthis will contest Mokha, how many forces hold the city, or what condition the port is in. It doesn’t say what the Sunday air offensive achieved. Nor does it detail what the Riyadh meeting under the Makkah pact might produce.
The update does show a coalition pressing militarily while seeking diplomatic cover. A recaptured port, a massed air strike, a regional meeting, and a public American statement on Saudi self-defense all appeared in the same reporting cycle.
Why This Matters: The Houthis are an armed group aligned with Iran, and their attacks on Saudi Arabia are now a standing item on a regional agenda. Retaking Mokha denies them a strategic port, and the Saudi-led air campaign shows Riyadh intends to answer force with force. From a security standpoint, the stakes extend well beyond Yemen: if proxy forces can threaten coastlines and neighbors without cost, every state in the region must decide how much deterrence it’s willing to supply. Washington’s stated support for Saudi self-defense, however thinly sourced here, suggests the alliance framework is still in play.