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Yemen Declares All-Out War Against Houthis
Confirmed
In Short: Yemen's internationally recognized government has declared an all-out war against the Houthi rebels, aiming to retake all territory currently held by the group.
Yemen's internationally recognized government has declared an all-out war against the Houthi rebels, aiming to retake all territory currently held by the group. President Rashad al-Alimi announced the offensive in a televised address, stating, "Today, I announce the start of military operations to retake the remaining territory of the republic and extend the authority of the state and its institutions across the entire national territory."
The announcement comes after a series of intense battles in recent weeks, including the Houthis' capture of the Red Sea coastline and the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The Houthis have also made significant gains inland, effectively encircling the city of Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city.
Security sources report that the Houthis have continued to make gains, cutting a vital supply route linking Taiz with Aden, the interim capital of the Yemeni government. The Houthis now control the area and supply route, effectively encircling Taiz.
The Saudi-led coalition, which has been supporting the Yemeni government, has also launched a major campaign to dislodge the Houthis. The coalition has secured air protection of the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait and destroyed hundreds of Houthi targets.
On Sunday, the Houthis launched a ballistic missile and drone attack on Aramco sites in Riyadh and the oil-rich Khurais area in eastern Saudi Arabia. The Houthis' military spokesman Yahya Saree said the strikes were precise, causing large fires at the targeted sites.
The conflict has escalated significantly since a ceasefire broke down in July. The Houthis have accused Saudi Arabia of bombing the airport in Sanaa to prevent the landing of an unauthorized Iranian flight, leading to the breakdown of the ceasefire.
The U.S. has provided support to Saudi Arabia in its ongoing campaign against the Houthis. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that it was expected that the Saudi-backed government in Yemen would hit back at the rebels to reclaim territory.
The Houthis, backed by Iran, have improved their capabilities in recent years. Some observers see a force that has advanced impressively, but others doubt whether the Houthis can sustain their recent victories.
The fighting represents the sharpest escalation since the 2022 ceasefire broke down in July. The Houthis' rapid offensive has significantly shifted the power balance in Iran's favor, signaling to other powers that U.S. military influence in the Middle East is diminishing.
What this adds
The Houthis' control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait has raised concerns about global oil prices and energy security, as the strait is a critical shipping lane for Saudi Arabia's oil exports.
Background
In a statement on Saturday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack on a Saudi Aramco facility in Riyadh.
What's confirmed
- The announcement comes after a series of intense battles in recent weeks, including the Houthis' capture of the Red Sea coastline and the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The Houthis have also made significant gains inland, effectively encircling the city of Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city.
- Security sources report that the Houthis have continued to make gains, cutting a vital supply route linking Taiz with Aden, the interim capital of the Yemeni government. The Houthis now control the area and supply route, effectively encircling Taiz.
- The Saudi-led coalition, which has been supporting the Yemeni government, has also launched a major campaign to dislodge the Houthis. The coalition has secured air protection of the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait and destroyed hundreds of Houthi targets.
- On Sunday, the Houthis launched a ballistic missile and drone attack on Aramco sites in Riyadh and the oil-rich Khurais area in eastern Saudi Arabia. The Houthis' military spokesman Yahya Saree said the strikes were precise, causing large fires at the targeted sites.
- The conflict has escalated significantly since a ceasefire broke down in July. The Houthis have accused Saudi Arabia of bombing the airport in Sanaa to prevent the landing of an unauthorized Iranian flight, leading to the breakdown of the ceasefire.
- The U.S. has provided support to Saudi Arabia in its ongoing campaign against the Houthis. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that it was expected that the Saudi-backed government in Yemen would hit back at the rebels to reclaim territory.
- The Houthis, backed by Iran, have improved their capabilities in recent years. Some observers see a force that has advanced impressively, but others doubt whether the Houthis can sustain their recent victories.
- The fighting represents the sharpest escalation since the 2022 ceasefire broke down in July. The Houthis' rapid offensive has significantly shifted the power balance in Iran's favor, signaling to other powers that U.S. military influence in the Middle East is diminishing.
What's still developing
- But it has once again shown the price Saudi Arabia - and, as a consequence, the global economy - could pay if it launched a new all-out war against the Houthis.
- Attacks on the Houthis have also spread across Yemen, including to the Saada region, the group's northern heartland.
- In July, amidst the US-Israel war on Iran, the Houthis announced a complete maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia and began launching attacks on Saudi-linked ships passing through the important Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
- The Houthis, who declared a blockade of Saudi-flagged ships in the Red Sea earlier in the year, now have a much firmer control of the Bab al-Mandeb waterway, which Riyadh increasingly relies on for oil exports following blockades of the the Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Gulf, experts say.
- A new wave of fighting resumed last week – among the most intense in years – as the Houthis attacked positions with the aim of seizing the Red Sea coast.
- The offensive came just after the rebels said they had captured more territory in the southwestern part of Yemen, taking a key town in a blow to the Saudi-backed forces as they advanced toward a strategic provincial capital in the region.
- READ MORE: Iran-backed Houthi rebels warn against joining Saudi Arabia in Yemen's growing civil war Hours after al-Alimi's declaration, the Saudi military spokesperson al-Malki vowed "full operational support" to the Yemeni government forces, until the Houthis are "eliminated."
- Al-Alimi said in a post on X on Monday that the operation — dubbed "Yemen Dawn" — has started with the aim of "restoring state institutions, liberating" Sanaa, Yemen's rebel-controlled capital, and ending "the Houthi terrorist militia coup."
- On Monday, Yemen’s military spokesman Majed al-Nuzaily said that “Operation Yemen Dawn” had launched more than 1,100 attacks against Houthi positions.
- Iran has incorporated the rebels as members of its anti-U.S. coalition, the so-called Axis of Resistance, and has provided weapons, training and other aid to the Houthis, which belong to a branch of Shiite Islam.
- “The government doesn’t have the capabilities, the materiel, nor the cohesion of the forces,” said Hisham Al-Omeisy, a senior Yemen advisor at the European Institute of Peace.
- He added that pro-government factions succeeded in clawing back Mokha, the town of Bab el-Mandeb and a nearby airport from the Houthis — claims the group denied.