Yemeni government forces launch offensive to retake Sanaa, intensify fighting in key provinces

On Monday, Yemen’s deputy defence minister Samir Al-Sabri declared on state television that a decision had been taken to recapture the capital Sanaa, which the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized in 2014. Government-aligned forces have opened attacks in the provinces of al-Bayda and al-Jawf, strategic gateways to the city, while urging civilians to stay off key routes such as those through Nihm, Sirwah, Mahliyah and al-Hazm.

The campaign, described by spokesman Majid al-Nuzaili as an effort to “liberate Yemen from the grip” of the Houthis, follows a series of escalations since the 2022 UN-brokered truce. Fighting has now spread to al-Dhalea, Marib, Taiz and Hodeidah, with the World Health Organization reporting nearly 900 killed or wounded and about 21,000 people displaced from Taiz alone. President of the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council Rashad al-Alimi claimed gains in multiple provinces and warned the Houthis of responsibility for any fallout. The Houthis, meanwhile, say they repelled advances in al-Jawf and claim to have struck government forces with missiles, though these claims remain unverified.