The confirmation marks the latest in a string of rapid territorial gains by the Yemeni armed forces, which include Ansarullah units, along the western coast.
According to Reuters, retreating Saudi-backed fighters reported that Yemeni forces have already begun launching attacks on the strategic Hanish Islands in the Red Sea, tightening their grip on the maritime approaches to the Bab al-Mandab strait.
The capture of Mokha followed a lightning-fast offensive earlier on Thursday, during which Yemeni troops seized two key areas in the western province of Hudaydah, the districts of Hays and al-Khawkhah.
Hudaydah Provincial Governor Abdullah Atifi stated that Yemeni army soldiers had fully cleared the districts of Saudi-backed mercenary forces, paving the way for the subsequent push into Mokha.
Hours prior to the capture of Hays and al-Khawkhah, Yemeni military units established control over the coastal fishing town of Yakhtul in the southwestern province of Ta’izz following intense clashes with Saudi-sponsored mercenaries.
he sequential capture of Yakhtul, Hays, al-Khawkhah, and finally Mokha has effectively shattered the opposing forces' coastal defensive lines.
In a separate military development, Yemeni military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced that the country’s air defense units shot down a Saudi-operated Vestel Karayel surveillance drone.
The unmanned aerial vehicle was struck and destroyed with a surface-to-air missile while conducting “hostile operations” over the Hajjah province.
In a desperate attempt to stem the Yemeni advance, Saudi military aircraft carried out 40 airstrikes across four Yemeni provinces on Thursday. However, the bombardment failed to prevent the loss of Mokha.
According to Yemen’s official Saba news agency, Saudi warplanes launched 10 strikes on the al-Hazm and al-Ghayl districts in the northern al-Jawf province, and another three attacks on the al-Jubah district in the central Ma’rib province.
Eighteen more strikes targeted the districts of Mawza, Maqbanah, the Mokha Junction, and other areas in Ta’izz province. In Hudaydah province, Saudi fighter aircraft conducted nine strikes on the districts of al-Salif and al-Tuhayta, as well as Kamaran Island.
The current escalation is the latest chapter in a devastating war that began in March 2015, when Saudi Arabia and several of its allies launched a comprehensive war of aggression and blockade against Yemen, backed by the United States and several Western countries.
Despite tens of thousands of Yemeni casualties, Riyadh failed to achieve its primary goal of installing a compliant puppet government.