Yemen Government Launches Major Offensive Against Houthi Forces

Yemen's internationally recognised government has kicked off a massive push to reclaim every square inch of land currently held by the Houthis. This fresh escalation follows years of relative calm that ended after heavy fighting resumed just weeks ago. Rashad al-Alimi, who chairs the Presidential Leadership Council as the executive body for the state, made the official announcement following intense combat along the Red Sea and near Taiz.

The government forces recently claimed to have taken back the Dhubab district on the west coast, right next to the Bab al-Mandab strait. That strategic waterway links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, a busy shipping lane for global trade. The Houthis denied this specific claim while continuing their own offensive moves.

Since the fragile truce signed in 2022 fell apart last July, more than 100,000 people have been forced to flee their homes. Last month alone, the Iran-backed militia surged forward and grabbed roughly 150km of coastline around that critical strait. Now the war has returned with a vengeance after months of quiet tension.

The foreign minister for the recognised government asked international allies for urgent help in defeating the Houthis. She argued that stability in Yemen serves the interests of the entire world. "We call upon our brothers, friends and the international community to support the Yemeni people," Afrah Al-Zouba wrote on X after exhausting all options for peace talks.

Her post described the militia as terrorists who seize will by force and lay waste to the lives of families. The government insists that their national institutions must stand strong against this armed aggression while seeking global backing.

On Monday, military spokesmen stated they had neutralised 1,740 fighters during over 1,120 separate operations across Saada, al-Jawf and Taiz governorates plus the western coast. Majed Abdullah al-Nuzaili explained that strikes targeted artillery positions, rocket launchers, fortifications, supply lines and command centers.

The campaign involved warplanes, drones, artillery pieces, missiles and snipers working together to break Houthi defenses. Forces destroyed or disabled 364 military vehicles in these recent clashes. The Houthis claim a strike on an Aramco site while families continue to flee another offensive on the road.

Casualty counts and equipment losses remain unverified by independent observers. Meanwhile, the battlefield in Marib governorate saw a sharp increase in violence on Monday. A military source speaking to Al Jazeera confirmed that government troops struck Houthi positions along the Ragwan front in the north of the region. These ground attacks happened at the same time as air strikes hitting Houthi strongholds and incoming reinforcements. The raids specifically targeted spots near Mount Helan, an arms depot, and military units northwest of Marib.

Saudi-led coalition forces claimed they hit 97 targets around Taiz and the Tor al-Baha front on Sunday. Their arsenal included warplanes, drones, artillery shells, missiles, and snipers. Saeed Thabet, Yemen bureau chief for Al Jazeera, offered context from the ground in Taiz. He noted that Houthi fighters in the countryside are using guerrilla tactics. Their goal is to ease pressure on coastal lines while tightening the blockade of the road leading to Aden.

Al-Alimi issued a clear order last Sunday. Government forces must launch military operations to take back territory held by the Houthis and restore state authority across Yemen. "We have instructed the armed forces, security forces and all military formations to begin carrying out their assigned tasks under an approved plan until the country is liberated from the Houthis," al-Alimi stated. Reuters received reports from military sources saying the Houthis pushed forward over the last 48 hours. They advanced against government and local troops on strategic hilltops near Taiz. This movement threatened the final road linking the city to Aden on Yemen's southern coast. AFP quoted four security sources claiming the Houthis severed a vital supply route connecting the besieged city of Taiz with Aden, which serves as the interim capital for the Yemeni government.

The Houthis hold Sanaa and most of Yemen's populous northwest since 2014. Saudi Arabia sent military forces to intervene in 2015 at the head of a coalition supporting the internationally recognized government. That effort failed to remove the group from power. A United Nations-brokered truce in 2022 brought several years of relative calm before fighting intensified again this year. The latest round of violence has centered heavily on the Red Sea coast and Taiz.

Ibrahim Jalal, a Yemeni defense analyst, told Al Jazeera that the government and its allies face a formidable rival in the Houthis. He argued their missile arsenal is growing, as is the precision of their drones. Their military capabilities have expanded with support from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). By joining the US-Israel war on Iran on their own timeline, the Houthis reinforced their spot in Tehran's "axis of resistance." This move gave the IRGC a way to shift pressure from the Strait of Hormuz to Bab al-Mandeb in the Red Sea.

Saudi Arabia has pledged continued support for the internationally recognized government. Coalition spokesman Major-General Turki al-Malki said Saudi Arabia and its allies would keep supporting Yemen until state institutions are restored and the Houthi threat to shipping in the southern Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb ends. Al-Malki also asserted that Saudi Arabia has an "inherent right" to defend its sovereignty and take military measures to deter Houthi attacks. Recent strikes in Riyadh, Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jizan, Najran, Taif, and Yanbu serve as evidence of this threat.