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Rashad al-Alimi announced on Sunday the beginning of military operations to retake the remaining territories held by the Iran-backed Houthis, according to a televised address from Riyadh that was broadcast on Yemeni state television. The Presidential Leadership Council chairman instructed the armed forces, security forces and all military formations to execute their tasks under an approved plan until the country is liberated from the group. Al-Alimi placed all state institutions on full alert until the mission achieves victory and called for parallel civilian measures to restore services in recaptured areas.
A military spokesman for the internationally recognised government reported that Yemeni forces carried out 257 precision operations against Houthi positions on Saturday alone, an assessment that placed initial deaths among the rebels at 700. Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili detailed the use of warplanes, drones, artillery, missiles and snipers in those strikes, which also destroyed or damaged 44 military and supply vehicles. The operations preceded al-Alimi’s formal announcement and came amid intensified clashes on multiple fronts.
Al-Alimi stressed in his statement that the campaign targets the restoration of state institutions rather than any specific population, sect or tribe, a point echoed across multiple international wire services including Reuters and Xinhua. He accused the Houthis of exploiting a period of government restraint to mobilise additional fighters and expand their attacks on civilians, national infrastructure, neighbouring states and international shipping lanes. The council chief added that the decision followed resolutions by the National Defense Council after de-escalation opportunities had been exhausted.
Recent Houthi advances have included cutting the main supply road to the government-held city of Taiz and seizing positions in surrounding districts, according to security sources cited by AFP on the same day as the announcement. Those gains effectively encircled Taiz and built upon a lightning offensive last month in which the group seized large stretches of the Red Sea coastline including the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Yemeni military officials told Xinhua that government forces had been forced to retreat from several locations in the Ash Shamayatayn and Al-Ma’afer areas.
The Houthis have controlled the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen since late 2014, a situation that triggered the Saudi-led coalition intervention the following year, according to a timeline outlined in Al Jazeera’s coverage of the conflict. Turki al-Malik, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, stated that the Houthis’ external ties have brought chaos and devastation to the country. Al-Alimi directed the government to prepare plans for salary payments, reconstruction of roads and utilities, and the return of displaced residents once areas are retaken.
The announcement marks a shift from a preparation phase to active operations, al-Alimi said in remarks carried by the Jordan News and other regional outlets. He emphasised that the effort aims to correct past mistakes and prevent any armed group from imposing its will on the Yemeni people. Government forces have reported additional strikes in Taiz and Lahj provinces that killed at least 260 more Houthi fighters in the days leading up to the formal declaration.
