Yemen launches major military operation against Houthis

RIYADH, 5 OCTOBER 2026 —

Yemen’s internationally recognized government launched a major military offensive on Sunday to retake territory held by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, a decisive escalation that marks the end of a fragile four-year ceasefire and reignites the civil war with profound implications for global shipping and regional security.

The announcement, made by Presidential Council chief Rashad al-Alimi in a televised address, follows the Houthi capture of a critical road linking the southwestern city of Taiz with the government-held interim capital of Aden, effectively isolating Taiz after more than a decade of siege.

The move signals a fundamental shift in the conflict’s trajectory, as the Saudi-backed government, governing from Aden, has declared its intent to extend state authority across the entire national territory. This declaration comes at a moment of heightened volatility, with the Houthis having seized control of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital global shipping route connecting the Mediterranean to Asia.

The capture of this strategic chokepoint has granted the rebels significant leverage over international maritime trade and opened a new front in the broader geopolitical confrontation involving the United States, Israel, and Iran.

Al-Alimi stated in his address, "Today, I announce the start of military operations to retake the remaining territory of the republic and extend the authority of the state and its institutions across the entire national territory." He emphasized that the government had decided to launch the offensive only after exhausting all opportunities to de-escalate the conflict.

A military spokesman subsequently called on the Houthis to surrender their weapons, while Al-Alimi described the rebels as a "terrorist militia" from which the country must be liberated. The President also thanked Saudi Arabia for its continued support and urged Yemen’s regional allies and international partners to assist the Presidential Leadership Council’s forces and institutions.

The immediate trigger for the offensive was the Houthi seizure of the key supply route linking Taiz with Aden. According to AFP news agency, citing three Yemeni military sources, the Houthis now control the area and the supply route, effectively encircling Taiz.

Farea Al-Muslimi, a research fellow at the Chatham House think tank, noted that the rebels have "achieved the military objective of isolating Taiz from Aden, even if they haven't fully taken control of it." The fighting around Taiz has intensified, with more than 70 people reportedly killed in the past day alone, according to AFP.

The collapse of the 2022 truce between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia in July set the stage for this renewed conflict. The ceasefire had been strained after the rebels allowed an Iranian plane to land in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, a move that defied Saudi control over Yemeni airspace. In response to the escalating tensions, the Houthis announced a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia.

Last month, the group seized Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait from government hands, a development that Al-Alimi had previously called for international support to counter. The Houthis have controlled Sanaa and much of Yemen’s more populous western areas since the start of the civil war in 2014, when they forced the recognized government to flee.

Regional and Western officials had previously informed Reuters that Saudi Arabia and its Yemeni allies were preparing an assault against the Houthis. Under the reported plans, Saudi forces would lead aerial operations while Yemeni government troops conducted fighting on the ground.

The United States is already providing intelligence support for Saudi operations in Yemen, according to people familiar with the preparations, while several regional and European countries are providing mainly defensive military assistance to the kingdom. Al-Alimi’s announcement is widely viewed as having been made with the green light from Saudi Arabia, which remains the key backer of his government.

The conflict has expanded beyond Yemen’s borders, with the Houthis launching ballistic missiles and drones against Saudi Aramco sites in Riyadh and the Khurais area of Saudi Arabia. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree stated that "both operations successfully achieved their objectives," claiming the attacks caused major fires. The group described these strikes as retaliation for approximately 50 Saudi-led air and missile strikes in Yemen during the preceding 12 hours.

Saudi Arabia had not immediately confirmed the reported attacks or the extent of any damage, though the kingdom has been under constant attack as the Houthis target the country’s economic lifeblood, oil.

The broader regional context is shaped by the US-Israeli war against Iran, which began in February. Iran’s responses have included disrupting oil shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula. This wider war has intensified the Yemeni conflict, with the Houthis launching missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi shipping and oil infrastructure, thereby widening the confrontation and threatening regional stability.

The capture of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has given the Houthis additional leverage over global maritime trade, complicating efforts to maintain secure shipping lanes in a region already fraught with tension.

The humanitarian impact of the renewed fighting is severe. The World Food Programme warned last week that three in four families in some parts of Yemen were facing hunger as a result of intensified fighting and deteriorating humanitarian conditions. The conflict, which has displaced millions of people since 2014, has triggered one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, leaving large parts of the population dependent on humanitarian assistance.

The renewed clashes have disrupted supply routes and increased pressure on communities already struggling with food shortages, limited access to healthcare, and displacement, with tens of thousands of people displaced in recent weeks.

Attacks on the Houthis have spread across Yemen, including to the Saada region, the group’s northern heartland, and Sanaa, which has come under sustained attack as government forces try to weaken the group’s military capabilities. However, security sources indicate that the Iran-backed Houthis have continued to make gains despite the government’s counteroffensive. The frontline remains focused around Taiz, which is still controlled by the internationally recognized government but faces imminent threat from the encirclement.

The conflict has drawn in regional powers, particularly Saudi Arabia and Iran, with Tehran allegedly backing the Houthi movement, further entrenching the war as a proxy battleground for regional influence.

The launch of this major military operation represents a significant escalation that could reshape the dynamics of the Middle East. With the Houthis controlling key strategic points and the government launching a full-scale offensive, the path to a diplomatic resolution appears increasingly distant. The involvement of the United States, Saudi Arabia, and other regional actors suggests that the conflict will continue to have far-reaching consequences for global energy markets and international security.

As the fighting intensifies, the focus remains on the ability of government forces to break the siege of Taiz and reclaim the Red Sea coast, a challenge that will determine the next phase of Yemen’s protracted civil war.