Yemeni government forces advance on 4 fronts against Houthis

Yemeni government forces made battlefield gains Monday on four fronts against the Houthi group as Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi vowed to continue military operations until state authority is restored across the country.

The advances were reported in Al-Jawf, Al-Bayda, Taiz and Al-Hudaydah governorates, according to Yemen’s official Saba news agency.

Al-Alimi made the remarks during phone calls with military and field commanders overseeing operations on the different fronts.

He praised the forces for the latest battlefield gains and said they had regained the initiative against the Houthis.

Al-Alimi also hailed the role of the air force and drones in supporting troops on the ground.

He accused the Houthis of choosing escalation and rejecting peace initiatives, saying the group would bear responsibility for the consequences.

“The armed forces will continue carrying out their constitutional duty until state institutions are restored and state authority is extended across the entire country,” he said.

Earlier Monday, Yemen’s assistant defense minister said a decision had been made to retake the capital Sanaa from the Houthis, according to state television.

Meanwhile, the government-aligned Giants Brigades said they seized “strategic positions” during an operation in Al-Bayda governorate that killed 23 Houthi fighters and wounded dozens.

The Yemeni army also reported new advances and said it carried out 13 airstrikes on Houthi positions, gatherings and military vehicles in Al-Bayda.

The Houthis did not immediately comment on the latest battlefield developments.

Yemen had been under a relative lull since April 2022 after nearly 12 years of war between government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition and the Iranian-backed Houthis, who seized control of Sanaa and large parts of the country in 2014.

Since late 2023 after the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip began, the Houthis have become increasingly involved in regional hostilities, launching attacks on Israel and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, while recent renewed fighting has raised fears of a return to full-scale conflict in Yemen.