Saudi-backed Yemen government launches offensive to reclaim territory from Houthis

Yemen’s Saudi-backed government has announced the start of a major military operation to reverse recent advances by the Iran-backed Houthi militant group, CNN reports.

The head of Yemen’s presidential council, Rashad al-Alimi, said in a televised speech on Sunday that the operation aims to reclaim remaining Houthi-held territory and restore state authority nationwide, citing the group’s “continued mobilization, escalation and attacks” against civilians and shipping lanes.

Military spokesperson Majid Al-Nuzaili described it as a “battle for liberation,” urging Houthi fighters to lay down their arms.

The offensive follows weeks of Saudi airstrikes on Sanaa, which the Houthis say they answered by striking Aramco facilities in Riyadh and Khurais.

The renewed fighting has displaced tens of thousands of people, with the World Food Program warning that three in four families in parts of Yemen are already going hungry.

Fighting has intensified around Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city, as both sides battle for control of a key highway linking it to Aden.