Aden (TDI): Yemen’s internationally recognized government has intensified its military campaign against the Houthi movement, with the Yemeni army claiming that 1,747 Houthi members were “neutralized” in 1,122 operations across several fronts.
Military spokesman Majed Abdullah al-Nuzaili said the operations targeted Houthi artillery and rocket-launcher positions, defensive fortifications, supply routes, military reinforcements and command-and-control centers. The campaign covered Saada, Al-Jawf and Taiz provinces as well as areas along Yemen’s western coast, he said.
According to al-Nuzaili, the operations involved aircraft, drones, artillery, missiles, rocket launchers and snipers. Government forces also claimed to have destroyed or disabled 364 military vehicles and other transport and supply assets.
The figures were released after Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi announced a comprehensive military campaign on Sunday to retake territory held by the Houthis. Al-Alimi said Yemen’s armed and security forces had been ordered to begin operations aimed at restoring state authority and extending government control across the country.
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The Saudi-led coalition has pledged continued operational support for the Yemeni government and its armed forces. Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki said the alliance would continue backing efforts to restore state institutions and counter what he described as Houthi threats to Yemen and regional security.
The escalation follows significant Houthi battlefield gains in recent weeks. The group has expanded its control along Yemen’s western coastline and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, while also advancing in the Taiz region. The developments have put additional pressure on government-held territory and major supply routes.
The Houthis have also claimed attacks against Saudi Arabia. The group said it launched ballistic missiles and drones toward Saudi Aramco facilities in Riyadh and the Khurais area after what it described as dozens of Saudi-led strikes against Houthi positions. Saudi authorities had not immediately confirmed the Houthi account.
The renewed fighting has also raised concerns for commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said a tanker reported multiple explosions in close proximity to the vessel about 60 nautical miles south of Yemen’s port city of Mokha. The crew was reported safe, with no environmental impact recorded, while authorities continued investigating the incident.
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The latest maritime incident occurred near an area that has become increasingly sensitive following Houthi advances around Bab el-Mandeb. The strait is a major shipping corridor linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and connecting trade routes between Europe and Asia.
The conflict has been ongoing since the Houthis seized Sanaa and large parts of northern Yemen in 2014, prompting Saudi Arabia and its allies to intervene militarily the following year in support of the internationally recognized government. A period of reduced fighting followed the 2022 truce, but major hostilities have now resumed.
The intensifying Yemen conflict is also unfolding alongside the wider confrontation between Iran and the United States. Tehran has backed the Houthis, although Iran has denied directing their military operations.
