Yemen’s government announces major offensive against Houthis, as Iran says ‘there is no military solution’ to conflict with US.
Yemen's leader announces operation to retake Houthi-held territory
Ibrahim Jalal, a Yemeni defence analyst, says the Yemeni government and its allies face a rival in the Houthis that has transformed into a formidable force in recent years.
The missile arsenal of the Houthis, the precision of their drones and their military “capabilities have grown” with support from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), he told Al Jazeera.
And having joined the US-Israel war on Iran on their own timeline, the Houthis have reinforced their place in Tehran’s “axis of resistance” and given the IRGC a way to shift pressure from the Strait of Hormuz to Bab al-Mandeb in the Red Sea, he said.
But the Houthis also have domestic goals, he said. After their lighting advance into Bab al-Mandeb, “they’re trying to secure their gains by controlling” key mountains and “isolating” the city of Taiz from the city of Aden, the Yemeni government’s interim capital, and the province of Lahj. This would increase the pressure on Aden and “allow an expansion of the territorial advance toward the economic center of gravity” or the city of Marib.
That city “has been under a less level of pressure but is likely to emerge eventually as the next center of gravity,” he said.
The Houthis’ strength and gains have prompted a “change in calculus” within the government and among its allies, Jalal said, as reflected in President Rashad al-Alimi’s announcement of a major new military operation.
Yahya Saree, a spokesman for Yemen’s Houthis, say the group has repelled two Saudi F-15s over the airspace of Taiz using surface-to-air missiles.
In a post on Telegram, Saree also said that Saudi Arabia launched a total of 106 airstrikes on Yemen on Sunday, involving both jets and ground missiles, targeting the capital of Sanaa and the governorates of Al-Jawf, Taiz, Amran, Hajjah, and Sa’dah.
There was no immediate comment from the Saudi-led coalition on the Houthi claim.
A Pentagon official has told Al Jazeera that the US has removed all of its bomber aircraft at the UK’s Fairford airbase after five men were arrested on suspicion of plotting attacks on the facility.
“While operational security precluded us from confirming the movement of our assets and forces in real-time, we can acknowledge now that all U.S. bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford have re-deployed to their home stations in the United States,” the official said.
“The Airmen that operate America’s bomber force, including B-1s, B-2s, and B-52s, remain ready to deliver precision global strike capabilities – including through operations that launch and recover from the continental United States – anywhere, anytime,” the official added.
The five men arrested near the base have been released on bail and Iran has denied any involvement in the alleged plot there. UK investigators discovered petrol in the men’s vans, but found no explosive devices. Still, officials in the UK say they remain under investigation.
Major General Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led Coalition fighting in Yemen, says the group continues to “provide full operational support” to Yemeni government forces in order to “restore the state and end the Houthi coup”.
In a statement on X, al-Maliki condemned Houthis attacks on Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Saudi vessels in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab. He said Saudi Arabia would continue to defend its security and sovereignty, as well as regional and international security.
The renewed hostilities are the most serious since a United Nations-brokered truce halted large-scale fighting in 2022.
Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council chair Rashad al-Alimi announces military operations to retake Houthi-held territory and restore state authority nationwide.
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Hello, and welcome to our live coverage of the United States and Israel’s war on Iran.
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The abrupt redeployment to the US comes after several ‘terrorism-related’ arrests were made outside RAF Fairford.
Tehran says reopening Strait of Hormuz has been its main goal, while the US continues to focus on nuclear talks.
Fighting escalates in Taiz governorate as Yemen’s government and Houthis battle for control of key strategic locations.
Rashad al-Alimi says the campaign aims to restore state authority throughout Yemen.
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