How Did Yemenis React to the Fall of Mocha to the Houthis?

Developments on the West Coast and the Houthis' capture of areas, including Mocha, sparked a wave of interest among Yemenis across various social media platforms.

Many Yemenis expressed their anger at this major retreat by government forces, especially the National Resistance Forces led by Presidential Leadership Council member Tareq Saleh.

Yemenis' views on these developments varied. Some see war as a matter of ebb and flow, while others question the reasons for the retreat, claiming that Tareq Saleh's forces withdrew, leaving behind military equipment that the Houthis seized.

War is Ebb and Flow

The former governor of Taiz, MP Ali Al-Maamari, said that throughout history, wars have never been a one-way street. They are always like this: advance and retreat, moments of sadness and phases of joy.

He added: "Losing a battle or a position does not mean the end of the war. There is a cause paving its way to its goal, and a small setback like this will not stop it."

He noted that what happened in the coastal districts of Taiz and Hodeidah is painful, and it is natural for it to provoke all this anger and sadness.

He went on to say that no one can ask people to treat such a loss as a trivial matter, but sadness, however heavy, must not turn into defeat.

He described the battle for the coast as just a turn on a long and arduous road, and that control maps may change more than once, but the cause for which Yemenis are fighting is larger than a front and longer-lasting than a battle.

He warned that at this moment, we need to hold together. We should summon our firm will and cool heads from within to overcome what has happened.

He pointed out that this militia will not be Yemen's destiny, nor will it remain a power imposed on Yemenis forever.

He explained that the day will come when this chapter ends, and the Houthi project that has burdened Yemenis' lives for years will become just a painful memory in this country's history.

He concluded by saying: "Be confident that this moment is closer than ever before."

The Fall of Mocha Overnight

Activist Akram Al-Rasini said that Mocha International Airport, the state-of-the-art 2nd of December Hospital, Al-Jumhuriya channel studios, the solar power plant, water projects, the residential city, the Mocha road, schools, development projects, and many other things fell overnight under the control of the "filthiest" group in history!

He added with condemnation: "This is unjust and oppressive, by God... But do not rejoice too much, O Houthis. All of this will be taken from you in a fleeting moment... By God, your end will be quicker than you imagine, and overnight, justice will be restored, and this dark chapter will be closed forever."

War Knows No Courtesies

As for activist Ehab Al-Samaei, he said there are circulating reports about directives to relieve Tareq Mohammed Abdullah Saleh of all his military duties and refer him for investigation, following the fall of districts on the West Coast and the accompanying loss of positions and large quantities of weapons and heavy equipment.

He added: "If this information is confirmed, it opens a very dangerous file regarding the responsibility of military leaders for these setbacks, and it puts Tareq Saleh before the necessity of investigation and accountability, regardless of names, slogans, or political cover."

He continued: "War knows no courtesies, and whoever is responsible for the defeat must face its consequences."

Not a Single Shot Was Fired

Journalist Abdulsalam Qaed said it has become certain that Tareq Saleh fled without firing a single shot, leaving his weapons for the Houthis, and that those who confronted the Iranian militia in Al-Barh, Al-Wazi'iyah, Hays, Al-Khawkha, and other areas were the Tihami Resistance and the Giants Brigades.

He added: "We said it from the beginning: do not trust someone who betrayed his uncle and fled, because he will flee again when he hears the first shot."

As for media figure Abdullah Dublah, he said that Yemenis are Yemenis, and the reasons for their defeat have not changed: minor disputes, a lack of a sense of common danger, and a chronic apathy that gambles on the world's fears rather than seeking the internal causes of victory.

He added that the meaning of Tareq Saleh's recent statement is to relinquish command responsibility for the forces and return it to the Leadership Council and the Coalition.

Mocha's Weapons for the Houthis

For his part, journalist Mazen Oqlan commented: "It's infuriating to see these armored vehicles and all that weaponry go as a 'gift' to the Houthi militia, as if this armored vehicle was kept reserved and parked in Mocha just for Mohammed Ali al-Houthi to come and strut around in it."

He added that all the weapons seized by the militia are just the surplus that remained in Mocha after Tareq's forces withdrew from the city with hundreds of vehicles, armored cars, and trucks.. and the surplus is large, very large indeed.

He pointed out that equipment, gear, armored vehicles, and weapons have been accumulating for years on the coastal front to an unimaginable extent, not to mention the weapons shipments that were being seized at sea!

He continued: "I think, after all that has happened, and while crying over spilled milk, what if they had supplied Taiz with a tenth of these armored vehicles and weapons, especially since they know better than anyone the need of the fighters in the Taiz axis for this type of weapon, just as they know very well that they are strong men of unwavering steadfastness who would have benefited immensely from these weapons."

He argued that out of patriotism, pure self-interest, or even for political one-upmanship and hypocrisy, doing so would have been the right choice.

He continued: "But they did not do it.. The logic of the petty-minded dominated the scene there, and the grudges of treacherous leaders were what controlled and managed the situation, making decisions and plans that events revealed only benefited the Houthi militia."

He concluded: "And now, weapons and armored vehicles are piling up in Lahj, Al-Anad, and Aden, while Taiz is asking the legitimate government for advanced weapons, just advanced weapons!".