The Houthis seized a strategic Yemeni port city on Thursday, bringing the Iranian-backed militant group closer to controlling a key stretch of the Red Sea coast and threatening a critical trade and energy route.

The port city of Mokha, a historic coffee-trading hub that gave its name to the popular coffee drink “mocha,” came after days of intense fighting with Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces in a conflict that has escalated since early July, according to Yemeni and Saudi officials.