Yemen’s Presidential Council chairman, Rashad al-Alimi, declared the launch of a new military campaign on Sunday aimed at reclaiming all areas currently held by Iran-backed Houthi fighters. In a formal statement, Al-Alimi urged armed forces, security units, and all military factions to execute their missions according to approved plans until the nation is freed from what he described as the grip of a “terrorist militia.”
The announcement represents a significant escalation in the ongoing civil war, coming shortly after a rapid Houthi offensive last month that resulted in the seizure of extensive portions of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline.
Earlier on Sunday, multiple security sources confirmed to AFP that the Houthis had effectively surrounded Taiz, a key government-held stronghold, by severing its primary supply route. A local police source reported that Houthi fighters had taken control of the al-Safiya area, capturing the local police station and cutting the main road.
Three military sources corroborated these findings, noting that traffic on the main artery connecting Taiz to Aden had been halted due to ongoing combat. Although government forces still hold the city of Taiz itself, it has long been under blockade from the north, east, and west by Houthi militants, making it one of the conflict’s most critical fronts.
Farea Al-Muslimi, a research fellow at Chatham House, told AFP that the rebels had successfully achieved their objective of isolating Taiz from Aden, even if full control of the city had not yet been established.
In related developments, the Houthi-aligned Al-Masirah television network reported Saudi airstrikes in the northern governorates of al-Jawf and Saada, stating that at least two individuals were injured. These strikes occurred one day after the Yemeni government announced that its forces had targeted Houthi positions across the country, including in the capital Sanaa and areas near Taiz.
However, Yemen’s air capabilities remain constrained. Since the Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to support the government, Riyadh’s forces have predominantly conducted airstrikes. Experts suggest the recent operations were likely carried out by Saudi warplanes rather than the Yemeni air force.
The conflict, which erupted in 2014 when the Houthis captured Sanaa, saw a resurgence in July against the backdrop of a broader Middle Eastern war. Fighting intensified in September when the group launched a swift advance, seizing the entire Red Sea coast and the vital Bab al-Mandab Strait. Simultaneously, the Houthis have blockaded Saudi energy exports, compounding pressures from Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Yemen, already one of the world’s poorest nations, continues to face a severe humanitarian crisis.
It has been over a decade since this started. When does the civilian population actually get any peace? The world seems to have moved on.
Saudi airstrikes are reported, but Yemen’s air force seems powerless. Is Riyadh pulling the strings again behind the scenes while claiming it is Yemen’s war?
How can Al-Alimi claim victory when his own forces cannot secure the supply lines? This sounds like desperate rhetoric to mask serious military failures.
The encirclement of Taiz is a catastrophic development. I hope international aid can still reach the trapped civilians before it gets too late.