Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council and Supreme Commander of the Yemeni Armed Forces, called for a general and national mobilization on Friday to counter the escalating military offensive by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.
Addressing the nation via television, al-Alimi urged citizens to rally around government security forces with the aim of restoring state institutions and reestablishing sovereignty across the entire country, including Sanaa, which has been under Houthi control since 2014.
The appeal follows a rapid Houthi advance that has resulted in the group seizing Yemen’s entire Red Sea coastline. This strategic gain gives the rebels full control over the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a critical global shipping chokepoint, raising international concerns about maritime security.
Al-Alimi announced a forthcoming amnesty, stating that individuals who defect from the Houthis to join the government would be pardoned. He also pleaded with residents in Houthi-held territories to protect their children and refrain from sending them to fight alongside the rebels.
“The state does not view you as a party to the conflict but as its people and partners,” al-Alimi said, emphasizing that the mobilization is directed at the armed faction rather than the civilian population.
The escalation marks a significant deterioration in a conflict that was largely frozen following a 2022 truce. Fighting has reignited amid the broader regional war involving Iran. In recent weeks, Houthi forces have increased missile and drone strikes against Saudi Arabia, declared a maritime blockade, and targeted Riyadh for the first time in years in an effort to disrupt Saudi oil exports.
The humanitarian situation has also worsened, with over 132,000 people displaced by the latest clashes. Additionally, France has begun sending military assets to Saudi Arabia to help defend key oil infrastructure as the threat to regional stability grows.
A general mobilization feels desperate. If they lost the entire coastline so quickly, where was the defense strategy before this point?
Over 132,000 displaced already. Please don’t forget the civilians caught in the middle of this escalating regional proxy war.
The amnesty offer is interesting, but can al-Alimi really rally people after years of stagnation? Loyalty seems shaky right now.
Losing the Red Sea coast is a massive strategic blow. I wonder how long until global shipping reacts to this blockade threat.