Yemeni Military Launches Airstrikes to Counter Houthi Advance

Yemen’s military announced on Monday that it would conduct a wide array of strikes against Iran-backed Houthi targets in an effort to reclaim lost territory. The move comes as the Saudi-supported government declared a new campaign to reverse the group’s recent territorial gains.

The announcement followed a lightning offensive launched by the Houthis in September. According to United Nations figures, the fighting has resulted in hundreds of combatant deaths and forced more than 145,000 civilians to flee their homes, making Yemen the most active front in the broader Middle East conflict.

Hours after the official declaration, Yemen’s military spokesperson stated that forces had carried out over 1,000 strikes targeting Houthi artillery, rocket launcher positions, defensive fortifications, supply lines, and reinforcement routes.

Despite the extensive air campaign, ongoing Houthi advances on the ground have not been halted. On Sunday, the group effectively encircled the key city of Taiz by severing the primary supply route connecting it to Aden, the interim government capital. While government forces still hold Taiz, it has faced prolonged sieges from multiple directions by Houthi fighters.

Ahmed Nagi, a senior Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group, told AFP that while the military response is significant, it is premature to consider it a decisive turning point.

The escalation draws further attention to Saudi Arabia, which has led an anti-Houthi coalition since 2015. The group has recently claimed attacks on Saudi territory and declared a blockade of ships in the Red Sea near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a critical chokepoint for international shipping that the Houthis captured earlier this year.

Yemen has suffered a severe humanitarian crisis since the civil war began in 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa. The country remains one of the poorest in the world as the conflict continues to destabilize the region.