Yemen launches offensive to retake Houthi-held territory as war escalates

TAIZ, Oct 5 — In a bid to reclaim all territory from the Iran-backed Houthis, Yemen's military, backed by Saudi jets, launched an ambitious offensive on Monday. The Saudi-led coalition reported over 1,000 strikes, with 100 warplanes taking off at dawn, according to the coalition. Yemen's government declared the ambitious goal of retaking all Houthi territory, much of which has been held for over a decade, on Sunday.

Last month, the Houthis seized coastal areas along the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab strait, a critical chokepoint for oil and cargo shipping.

An attack last month had halted pumping in the East-West pipeline to the Red Sea, a major conduit for oil since Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz. The long-running Yemeni conflict, one of the world's poorest nations, has flared anew amid the broader Middle East war, sending crude prices soaring. Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser warned on Monday that global oil stockpiles are "scarily thin" due to the US-Iran war, following the G7 nations' decision to release more of their inventories to ease supply concerns.

The Houthis have targeted Saudi oil infrastructure and Red Sea tankers since the ceasefire in Yemen's civil war unraveled in July. The group has accused the Saudi-led coalition of carrying out hundreds of strikes. On the first day of the new offensive, Yemen's military spokesman announced over 1,000 strikes against artillery positions, fortifications, supply lines, and logistics assets.

The coalition's spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki stated that 100 jets flew at daybreak as part of "Operation 'Dawn of Yemen'". The strikes have yet to halt Houthi advances on the ground.

Taiz, a key city, has been encircled by Houthi fighters, cutting off the main supply route linking it to the interim government capital of Aden. However, Taiz residents remain defiant, vowing to stay and defend their city. "We cannot leave the city. It is impossible for us to leave. We will stay and die inside this city," Fahmi Ahmed Ghaleb told AFP.

Humanitarian concerns persist as Taiz city, under government control, has been encircled from all sides by Houthi fighters, creating a significant development that may not yet signal a decisive turning point in the war.