Houthi attacks halt operations at Yemen's Mocha port, cause 16 mln USD in losses

SANAA, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's government said Saturday that repeated Houthi missile and drone attacks had halted operations at the Red Sea port of Mocha, causing about 16 million U.S. dollars in direct material losses.

Abdulmalik al-Sharabi, director of the government-held port, said at a press conference in Mocha that Houthi attacks over the past week had killed seven people, including four members of the port's security forces and three employees, and caused extensive damage to facilities and equipment, according to the state-run Saba news agency.

Al-Sharabi said the Houthi attacks had damaged six wooden vessels and a dredger involved in the port's expansion, while the halt in maritime and commercial operations had left about 1,300 workers without their livelihoods.

Located in southwestern Yemen's Taiz province near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, Mocha port is a key entry point for commercial goods and supplies into government-held areas.

The pro-government National Resistance Forces said Friday that the Houthis had launched 40 ballistic missiles and 46 drones, along with explosive-laden boats, toward Mocha, targeting its port and other sites in the area during the recent escalation.

The Houthis have said their operations in the Mocha area targeted military buildups and weapons depots of the "Saudi-backed" Yemeni government forces, an account disputed by government authorities, which describe the port as a civilian commercial facility. Enditem