The West’s more cautious approach to the Houthis reflects the complex military and political realities in Yemen, the divisions among anti-Houthi forces, and the risk of widening the regional conflict.

The fall of the city of Mocha—along with vast areas of the West Coast extending to Bab el-Mandeb and Mayun Island—represents one of the most critical shifts on the ground in the course of the Yemen war in years.

Houthi expansion into the Horn of Africa is creating a cross-border network that threatens maritime security, regional stability, and the wider Red Sea.