President Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, has declared the commencement of an all-out military campaign aimed at reclaiming territory currently held by Houthi forces. The announcement was made during a televised address from Riyadh on Sunday, in which he vowed to extend state authority across the nation’s entire borders.
The escalation follows a sharp intensification of hostilities between the Iran-backed Houthi movement and the Saudi-led coalition supporting the Yemeni government. Tensions surged after the Houthis claimed responsibility for striking facilities belonging to Saudi state oil company Aramco, citing retaliation for approximately 50 coalition strikes carried out over a 12-hour period. Saudi authorities have not yet responded to the latest claims.
Security sources indicate that despite the government’s fierce rhetoric, the Houthis continue to make strategic progress. On Sunday, Houthi forces reportedly severed a critical supply road linking the besieged city of Taiz with Aden, the government’s interim capital. This action effectively encircles Taiz, which remains under government control but is now isolated from key logistical routes.
“They’ve achieved the military objective of isolating Taiz from Aden, even if they haven’t fully taken control of it,” Farea Al-Muslimi, a research fellow at Chatham House, told AFP. Al-Alimi’s decision to launch such a significant operation is widely viewed as contingent upon the backing of Saudi Arabia, Yemen’s primary international supporter.
Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesperson, stated that ballistic missiles and drones were launched against Aramco sites in Riyadh and the oil-rich Khurais region in eastern Saudi Arabia. He asserted that the operations were precise and resulted in large fires at the targeted locations. While Riyadh has previously dismissed similar Houthi claims as misleading, the group’s ability to threaten Saudi economic infrastructure underscores the risks of a broader conflict.
The conflict, which originally erupted in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, reignited in July amidst wider regional tensions. A recent offensive allowed the group to capture Yemen’s entire Red Sea coastline, including the vital Bab al-Mandab Strait. This territorial gain not only empowers Iran but also denies Saudi Arabia an alternative oil export route, prompting a return to direct military confrontation.
As airstrikes continue to target Houthi positions in Sanaa, Saada, and near Taiz, Yemen remains one of the world’s poorest nations, gripped by a severe humanitarian crisis exacerbated by the renewed fighting.
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