Date: October 4, 2026
Reporter: Emilly Jordan
ADEN — Yemen’s Saudi-backed government has announced the start of a major military operation aimed at retaking territory controlled by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement and restoring the authority of the internationally recognised government across the country.
Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, announced the operation on Sunday in a televised address, saying the country’s armed forces and other security formations had been instructed to begin military operations under an approved plan.
“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,” al-Alimi said.
The announcement follows weeks of major advances by the Houthis, who have captured strategically important areas along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and taken control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a major maritime passage connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
Regional and Western officials had previously told Reuters that Saudi Arabia and its Yemeni allies were preparing a counteroffensive against the Houthis. Under the planned operation, Saudi Arabia is expected to provide aerial support while Yemeni government forces conduct ground operations.
The Houthis have maintained the initiative despite preparations for the government counteroffensive. In recent days, Houthi forces have reportedly advanced on strategic hilltops near Taiz and moved toward the remaining road linking Taiz with Aden, where the Saudi-backed government is based.
Control of that route could place Taiz under an effective siege. Taiz is Yemen’s third-largest city and is home to hundreds of thousands of civilians, as well as thousands of government-aligned fighters.
The strategic importance of the area extends beyond Taiz. Houthi control of the surrounding mountains would strengthen the group's position along the coastal areas around Bab el-Mandeb and make any attempt by government forces to retake the territory more difficult, according to Mohammed Al-Qadhi, a veteran Yemeni journalist and political analyst from Taiz.
Bab el-Mandeb has become increasingly important to international shipping because it provides a maritime link between the Mediterranean and Asian markets. The waterway has assumed additional significance amid the conflict involving Iran and the disruption of other regional shipping routes.
Saudi Arabia entered Yemen’s civil war in 2015 at the head of an Arab coalition supporting the internationally recognised government after Houthi forces seized the capital, Sanaa, and drove the government from the city.
A truce reached by the warring parties in 2022 largely halted large-scale fighting for several years. The situation deteriorated this year after the Houthis launched missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi shipping and oil infrastructure amid the wider regional conflict involving Iran.
The latest fighting has added pressure to an already severe humanitarian crisis. The World Food Programme said last week that three out of four families in parts of Yemen were going hungry as renewed fighting displaced tens of thousands of people and disrupted supplies to millions.
The humanitarian situation could deteriorate further if fighting spreads around Taiz and other densely populated areas. Aid agencies and international organisations have repeatedly warned that Yemen remains highly vulnerable to disruptions in food supplies, medical services and other essential assistance.
The government’s announcement also comes after a series of recent battlefield setbacks. The Houthis have captured positions along the western coast and strengthened their presence around the Bab el-Mandeb area, prompting government forces and their allies to regroup.
The renewed offensive marks a significant escalation in Yemen’s long-running conflict and could further threaten stability around one of the world’s important maritime trade routes.
With the Saudi-backed government now ordering its forces to retake Houthi-held territory, the coming days are expected to determine whether the counteroffensive can reverse recent Houthi gains or lead to a wider escalation of the conflict.