Yemen’s internationally recognised government announced a major military campaign to retake Houthi-held territory, backed by a 100-jet Saudi air campaign that destroyed hundreds of targets and secured the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Yemen’s long-running civil war escalated sharply as the internationally recognised government launched an ambitious counteroffensive aimed at rolling back Houthi control. Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, announced the beginning of the offensive after declaring that all opportunities for de-escalation had been exhausted, directing military forces to begin operations according to approved plans.
Coalition Air Support
The military push is supported heavily from the air by a Saudi-led coalition. Major General Turki Al-Maliki, spokesman for the coalition, stated that 100 fighter jets were providing round-the-clock air support to the Yemeni armed forces on the ground. The air campaign has destroyed hundreds of high-value targets since operations commenced, securing vital airspace and critical maritime chokepoints. Meanwhile, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea stated on social media that Saudi attacks had struck the capital Sanaa alongside Al-Jawf and Taiz provinces, bringing the total number of coalition air and missile strikes since the escalation began to 1,516. Additionally, the Houthi-run Humanitarian Operations Co-ordination Centre warned civilian airlines that Saudi airspace, except for the skies above Mecca and Medina, was no longer safe as it had become a theatre of operations.
The Joint Forces Command reaffirmed its stance alongside the legitimate Yemeni government and the Yemeni people to end the Houthi coup and restore the state and its national institutions to build the future of Yemen.
Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki, Coalition Spokesperson
According to coalition reporting, the initial strike phase resulted in the destruction of 324 targets following the morning launch of Operation Dawn of Yemen. Military officials confirmed that the coalition established air protection over the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a crucial maritime chokepoint through which global energy supplies and trade pass. Major General Turki Al-Maliki promised full operational support to Yemeni government forces until the Houthis are eliminated.
Territorial Control Around Mocha and Bab al-Mandab
On the ground, pro-government forces drawn from the Homeland Shield Forces and Giants Brigades reported swift advances. Troops recaptured the strategic port city of Mocha and secured key positions near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, cutting off Houthi supply lines and roadways leading to the Bab al-Mandab chokepoint. Saba News Agency reported that Yemeni forces regained the initiative on several fronts in Taiz after thwarting Houthi infiltration attempts and attacks, with heavy clashes reported in Al-Shamaitain, Al-Mawaset, and Al-Ma’afer districts involving security forces and popular resistance fighters.
Government officials noted that units took control of the town of Dhubab just north of the strait, alongside the towns of Bab and Hadeid. However, the battlefield remains fragmented. While government forces pressed forward along the Red Sea coast, Houthi fighters simultaneously captured the key southwestern town of At Turbah in Taiz province, creating a severe obstacle for government resupply routes linking Taiz with the interim capital of Aden. Houthi military officials rejected claims of advances towards Dhubab, accusing Saudi-backed forces of attempting to cover up operational failures.
Civilian Toll and Regional Humanitarian Impact
The renewed hostilities have placed civilians directly in the crossfire across multiple governorates.
International observers and humanitarian agencies have raised alarms over the spiralling crisis. According to United Nations figures, the latest violence has killed more than 800 people, injured over 3,600, displaced more than 145,000 people within Yemen, and forced over 3,000 to flee across the water to Djibouti, compounding years of hardship in a conflict that began when the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014.