Yemen launches major offensive against Houthis

Yemen’s Saudi-backed government has announced a major military operation aimed at reclaiming territory controlled by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement.

Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi said the offensive began after efforts to reduce tensions had failed. He ordered the country’s armed forces and security units to carry out military plans to restore government control across Yemen.

The announcement came as the Houthis claimed they had launched ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi Aramco facilities in Riyadh and the Khurais area. The group said the attacks were retaliation for around 50 Saudi-led air and missile strikes on Yemen over the previous 12 hours. Saudi authorities had not immediately confirmed the Houthi claims.

Al-Alimi thanked Saudi Arabia for its continued support and urged regional allies and international partners to back Yemen’s government and security forces.

Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen’s civil war in 2015 at the head of a coalition supporting the internationally recognised government after the Houthis seized Sanaa. A truce reached in 2022 largely reduced the fighting, but tensions have intensified again this year.

The Houthis have strengthened their position in recent weeks, including advances around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The group already controls much of northwestern Yemen, where most of the country’s population lives.

The latest fighting has also focused on areas near Taiz. Houthi forces have reportedly captured strategic positions and moved closer to a key road linking Taiz with Aden, where the Saudi-backed government is based.

Control of the route could isolate Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city, while giving the Houthis a stronger position along the Bab el-Mandeb region.

The renewed conflict has also worsened Yemen’s humanitarian crisis. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced, while food shortages and disruptions to supplies are affecting millions of civilians.