Fighting intensified in Yemen on Tuesday as the Saudi-led coalition carried out fresh operations against Houthi targets, a day after the internationally recognised government launched a major offensive aimed at retaking territory held by the group.
The Saudi-led coalition said its naval forces conducted an operation in Hodeidah, destroying weapons depots, facilities used to store explosive-laden boats and naval mines, and thwarting planned attacks on waterways in the southern Red Sea.
The coalition also said it destroyed a ballistic missile launch platform in Sanaa and a storage facility in Saada containing 20 missiles.
Houthi-affiliated media, however, claimed that the group had repelled advances by Saudi-backed forces in Dhubab and Bab Al Mandab.
The latest exchanges followed the Yemeni government’s launch of “Operation Dawn of Yemen”, backed by Saudi airpower, to retake Houthi-held territory and restore state authority.
President of the Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Al Alimi formally named the offensive “Operation Dawn of Yemen” on Monday. The campaign aims to retake territory held by the Houthis, restore state institutions and regain control of the capital, Sanaa, which the group has controlled since 2014.
Al Alimi had announced the start of the military campaign a day earlier, saying it was aimed at reclaiming the remaining Houthi-held territory and extending state authority across Yemen.
Yemen’s armed forces said they carried out 1,122 precision operations against Houthi targets across Saada, Al Jawf, Taiz and the western coast. Military spokesman Colonel Majed Abdullah Al Nuzaili said the operations targeted artillery and rocket-launcher positions, defensive fortifications, supply routes, reinforcements and command-and-control centres.
He said fighter aircraft, drones, artillery, missiles, rocket launchers and snipers were used in the operations. According to figures released by the internationally recognised government, 1,747 Houthi fighters were “neutralised”, while 364 military vehicles, equipment and transport and supply assets were destroyed or disabled.
Government forces also claimed to have taken control of positions around Bab Al Mandab and the Dhubab area. Another report, citing military sources, said government forces had advanced around Bab Al Mandab and retaken Mocha, while Houthi forces had withdrawn from parts of the coast.
Saudi Arabia is providing significant military backing to the Yemeni government offensive. Major General Turki Al Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, said 100 fighter jets took part in operations on Monday and that the coalition was providing continuous air support to Yemeni forces. He said 324 “high-value” targets had been destroyed.
In response, the Houthis have opposed the offensive and warned airlines against operating in Saudi airspace. A Houthi-run coordination body, cited by the group’s Saba news agency and Al Masirah TV, said Saudi airspace was unsafe and could become a “theatre” for Houthi military operations.
The escalation also prompted an emergency meeting of the Makkah Alliance for Defence, bringing together Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye. The three countries agreed to move towards implementing collective-defence commitments, including the rapid deployment of agreed military forces and capabilities to Saudi Arabia, subject to existing arrangements and the national laws of the member states.
Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry expressed support for Saudi Arabia’s efforts to back Yemen’s internationally recognised government, restore state institutions and pursue a comprehensive political solution.
The latest developments mark a significant escalation in the Yemen conflict, with government forces seeking to reverse Houthi territorial gains, Saudi Arabia intensifying military support and fighting continuing around strategically important areas along the Red Sea coast.
