Daijiworld Media Network - Sanaa
Sanaa, Oct 5: Yemen's internationally recognised, Saudi-backed government has launched a major military operation to retake territory held by the Iran-backed Houthi movement, declaring a "battle for liberation" as fighting intensifies across several fronts.
Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, announced the operation in a televised address on Sunday, saying government forces had been ordered to begin military operations to reclaim remaining Houthi-held territory and restore state authority across the country.
The announcement came amid heavy fighting around Taiz in southwestern Yemen, where Houthi forces have advanced near the city and disrupted a key road linking Taiz with Aden, the government's interim capital. Government forces and allied fighters have been engaged in fierce clashes with the Houthis in the area.
Yemeni military officials said government forces had carried out strikes against Houthi positions in Sanaa and the northern province of Saada. The Saudi-led coalition also reported dozens of operations targeting Houthi reinforcements around Taiz and the Tor al-Baha front.
The Houthi-held capital Sanaa was hit by airstrikes, with heavy damage reported at a factory. Images showed firefighters dealing with a blaze and damage at the facility following an alleged Saudi airstrike. The exact nature of the target and the extent of casualties were not immediately clear.
Yemeni government forces claimed to have carried out hundreds of precision operations against Houthi positions and military capabilities. A government military spokesman said initial estimates indicated that hundreds of Houthi fighters had been killed, but the claims could not be independently verified.
The escalation follows a recent Houthi offensive in which the group seized parts of Yemen's Red Sea coast and areas around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital maritime route connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. The developments have heightened concerns over international shipping and regional security.
The Houthis, meanwhile, claimed responsibility for missile and drone attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities in Riyadh and the Khurais area of Saudi Arabia. The group said the attacks were retaliation for Saudi-led strikes on Houthi-held areas of Yemen. Saudi authorities had not immediately confirmed the claims.
The renewed fighting has also deepened the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Taiz has remained one of the country's main conflict fronts and has faced a prolonged siege. Aid agencies have warned that further fighting could displace more civilians and worsen food insecurity, with recent monitoring indicating that a large majority of households in accessible areas of Taiz were struggling to meet basic food needs.
Yemen has been embroiled in civil war since the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014, forcing the internationally recognised government to relocate to Aden. Saudi Arabia intervened militarily in 2015 to support the government, but the Houthis have continued to control Sanaa and large parts of northern and western Yemen.
The latest offensive marks a major escalation in the long-running conflict, with the government vowing to continue military operations until state authority is restored across the country.