Blame for the apparent lack of military resistance to the Houthi takeover has been split between Yemeni leaders, the United States, and Saudi Arabia, according to a Saturday CNN report.

Iran and its proxies move closer to full control of two shipping chokepoints as regional conflict widens

UAE-backed Tareq Saleh’s forces say Houthis cloned his voice to tell troops to pull back as they overran Mocha in a lightning advance toward Bab al-Mandab; claim comes amid separate evidence of AI use

By Mohammed Ghobari and Nayera Abdallah ADEN/DUBAI, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis seized control of the historic port city of Mocha on Thursday, four Yemeni government military sources said,

The Houthis said Red Sea navigation remained safe for shipping companies except those operating Saudi vessels. But their seizure of Mocha has placed them closer to the southern gateway of the Red Sea, where the waterway narrows into the Bab el-Mandeb.

Desperate pleas for air cover from Yemeni generals started coming mid-morning on Thursday. As the Houthis advanced, backup support from Saudi Arabia was nowhere in sight.

Yemen's conflict may be entering a significant new phase after Houthis claimed major territorial gains along the Red Sea coast. The group says it has captured the strategic town of Mocha and the Hanish Islands,

Saudi Arabia has closed a critical oil pipeline after it was struck by drones launched from Iraq, the latest squeeze on Middle Eastern supplies after attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels this week threatened to deepen the world’s energy crisis.

The Houthis captured Mocha after an AI-cloned voice message mimicking Yemeni military commander Lt General Tareq Mohammed Abdullah Saleh, prompting troops of the Iranian proxy to withdraw. The incident raises questions about how AI is being used to wage psychological warfare.