Yemen Government Declares Major Military Operation Against Houthis
Yemen’s internationally recognized government has announced a major military operation against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels as the group advances on the outskirts of the key southwestern city of Taiz
Yemen Government Declares Major Military Operation Against Houthis
Yemen’s internationally recognized government has announced a major military operation against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels as the group advances on the outskirts of the key southwestern city of Taiz.
Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, announced the operation while speaking from neighboring Saudi Arabia. He said the campaign aims to “recover the remaining territories” controlled by the Houthis.
The announcement comes after the Houthis made their largest territorial gains in years last month, seizing parts of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Al-Alimi called on the international community to support his Saudi-backed government. Separately, Saudi military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said the kingdom had the right to take all necessary measures to deter the rebels.
The Houthis have launched a major offensive in recent days against government forces and their allies around Taiz. The fighting has disrupted a major road connecting Taiz with the port city of Aden, where al-Alimi’s government is based.
The Houthis have besieged Taiz for more than a decade.
Earlier, the Houthis said airstrikes had hit Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, overnight but provided no details about casualties or damage. Yemen’s military, backed by Riyadh, claimed responsibility for the strikes, saying it had targeted “vital targets” in Sanaa and the northern province of Saada, near the Saudi border.
The renewed escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis has revived Yemen’s long-running civil war after a four-year ceasefire had significantly reduced the intensity of the conflict.
Meanwhile, Iran’s parliament speaker, who led direct negotiations with the United States earlier this year, said Washington had recently sent proposals to Tehran through a mediator. He did not disclose details of the proposals.
Separately, a maritime monitoring organization reported that a commercial tanker had reported explosions near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off Yemen, raising fresh concerns over the security of one of the Middle East’s most strategically important shipping routes.
The developments come amid broader regional tensions involving Iran, Israel, the United States and Iran-backed groups across the Middle East.
