Saudi-led coalition pledges support for Yemeni offensive against Iran-backed Huthis

The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen's government pledged its full backing on Sunday as the internationally recognized Yemeni administration announced a significant military offensive to reclaim territory from the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Last month, the Houthi militia executed a rapid offensive down the Red Sea coast, seizing control of a key port and further endangering international shipping.

Rashad al-Alimi, the head of Yemen's presidential council, announced in a televised speech that the military operations aimed to regain control over the remaining Houthi-held areas and restore state authority throughout the country.

The decision to launch attacks came after weeks of escalating tensions, with dozens of Saudi airstrikes against Houthi positions and the Houthi movement gaining more ground in southern Yemen. The renewed fighting has already forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis. According to the World Food Program, three out of four families in certain parts of Yemen are facing hunger due to the surge in fighting.

Yemen's presidential council spokesman, Al-Alimi, stated that the offensive was initiated following the Houthi militias' ongoing mobilization, escalation of attacks, and threats against civilians, facilities, neighboring countries, and international shipping lanes. In a separate statement, military spokesperson Majid Al-Nuzaili declared the government forces' commencement of a "battle for liberation" with the goal of ending Houthi control over the remaining territory and reinstating state institutions.

Al-Nuzaili also called upon Houthi fighters to lay down their arms and return to their homes, emphasizing the government's commitment to protecting civilians throughout the offensive.

Turki al-Maliki, the spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, affirmed that they would continue offering "full operational support" to Yemeni government forces in their efforts to restore state institutions and put an end to the Houthi coup. Al-Maliki also accused the Houthi forces of continuing attacks against Saudi Arabia and international shipping in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb Strait, stating that such threats jeopardize regional and international security, freedom of navigation, and global trade.

The Houthi-controlled armed forces responded to the reported Saudi airstrikes by claiming 106 air and missile strikes targeting the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and other regions over the previous 24 hours. However, they did not provide information on casualties or damage resulting from these airstrikes. In retaliation, the Houthi forces asserted that they had struck crucial Saudi energy facilities, causing large fires at targeted sites. The Saudi response to these claimed strikes remains undisclosed.

In September, the Houthi militia captured a significant portion of Yemen's Red Sea coast, reaching as far south as the Bab al-Mandeb waterway, a critical chokepoint for commercial shipping heading to the Indian Ocean. The Houthis warned that they would target Saudi shipping attempting to pass through the strait, potentially causing further disruptions to global trade and energy routes.

Conflicts have been predominantly concentrated in the southern region of Taiz, where Houthi forces attempted to sever government forces' access to the Yemeni capital, Aden. The Houthi militia claimed on Sunday to have seized a crucial highway connecting Taiz with Aden, a city of several hundred thousand inhabitants and a stronghold for government troops.

Further east, in the al-Jawf region, the Houthi militia reported inflicting heavy casualties on government forces through a barrage of missiles and drones as they prepared for the new offensive. Yemeni government forces, backed by Saudi airstrikes and a blockade of Houthi territories, began their conflict with the Houthis over a decade ago.

On Monday, officials from Saudi Arabia will gather with Turkish and Pakistani representatives in Riyadh to discuss regional developments during the Strategic and Political Defense Committee meeting, a NATO-style defense pact.