Yemen's internationally recognised government has announced the start of military operations to retake territory held by the Iran-aligned Houthis, as government forces said they were conducting strikes in the capital Sanaa and the Houthi stronghold of Saada.
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The head of Saudi-backed Yemen's presidential council, Rashad al-Alimi, announced the operation in a televised address on Sunday, saying the objective was to restore state authority across the country.
“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.
A spokesperson for Yemen's armed forces, which are aligned with the internationally recognised government, said forces were targeting what he described as “vital targets” in Sanaa and Saada, without providing further details.
Houthi-run Al Masirah TV earlier reported an attack on Sanaa that it said was carried out by Saudi Arabia. There was no immediate Saudi confirmation of the reported strike.
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The announcement follows a renewed escalation in Yemen's civil war. Fighting between the Iran-backed Houthis and forces aligned with the Saudi-backed government had largely subsided after a 2022 truce, but hostilities have intensified again amid the wider conflict involving Iran and the United States.
Following al-Alimi’s announcement, heavy ground fighting broke out in Yemen’s Kahboub Mountains overlooking the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, with government forces backed by al-Subaiha tribesmen clashing with Houthi fighters, Al Jazeera reported.
The Houthis have also made territorial gains in recent weeks, including along Yemen's Red Sea coast, while fighting has intensified around the government-held city of Taiz.
Earlier on Sunday, four security sources told AFP that Houthi forces had cut a key supply route linking Taiz with Aden, the interim capital of Yemen's internationally recognised government.
“We were informed that the Houthis had taken control of the al-Safiya area, where they cut the main road and took control of the police station,” a police source in the area told AFP.
Three Yemeni military sources also confirmed Houthi control of the area and the supply route, saying traffic had been halted on the main road between Taiz and Aden while fighting continued.
“They've achieved the military objective of isolating Taiz from Aden, even if they haven't fully taken control of it,” Farea Al-Muslimi, a research fellow at Chatham House, told AFP.
The Houthis have separately claimed missile and drone attacks on Saudi targets, including Saudi Aramco facilities in Riyadh and the Khurais area, saying they were carried out in response to Saudi-led strikes in Yemen.
