In the highlands between Taiz and the Red Sea, Yemen's internationally recognized government has opened what it calls the 'Dawn of Yemen' offensive, targeting the mountainous district of al-Waziiya as the essential first step toward reclaiming the port of Mocha and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait — one of the world's most consequential maritime passages. The campaign, backed by a hundred Saudi coalition aircraft and the prospective deployment of Pakistani and Turkish forces, reflects how deeply this decade-long conflict has become entangled in the security calculations of distant capitals. What unfol
Yemeni forces launch major offensive to retake strategic Houthi stronghold
Three people wounded in Houthi attacks on Saudi airports near the Yemen border.
Without al-Waziiya, Mocha remains unreachable.
Mark
So the government is launching this big offensive to take back al-Waziiya. Why does this particular district matter so much?
Mimi
It's the gateway. The Houthis took Mocha, the Red Sea port, last month. But before they did that, they secured al-Waziiya—the mountains that overlook it. If the government wants Mocha back, they have to go through al-Waziiya first. It's geography as strategy.
Luke
Right, but we should be clear: the government claims they've secured strategic hills there. The Houthis say they repelled the advance. We don't have independent verification of who's actually holding what ground right now.
Mark
Fair point. So what's the bigger picture here? Why is the government launching this now?
Mimi
It's part of something called the "Dawn of Yemen" offensive, announced Sunday by the Presidential Leadership Council chairman. The stated goal is to retake all Houthi-held territory—including Sanaa, which the Houthis have controlled since 2014.
Luke
That's a massive claim. But the immediate operation is just al-Waziiya. We should distinguish between the announced ambition and what's actually happening on the ground.
Mark
What about the Saudis? Are they just watching?
Mimi
No. The Saudi-led coalition is providing direct air support—100 fighter jets. And now Pakistan and Turkey are activating what they call "deterrence measures" under their mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia, preparing to deploy forces to the Gulf.
Luke
That's significant escalation. Though we should note: Pakistan and Turkey are preparing to deploy. We don't know the timeline or the scale yet.
Mark
There were also attacks on Saudi territory?
Mimi
Yes. Houthis launched ballistic missiles at Saudi cities. One was intercepted targeting Khamis Mushait. Earlier that day, attacks hit two airports near the Yemen border—Jazan and Najran. Three people were wounded.
Luke
Three wounded is the confirmed number from the Saudi civil aviation authority. The Houthis claimed they targeted military sites too, but we don't have independent confirmation of all their claims.
Mark
So what does this mean for the broader conflict?
Mimi
If the government can hold al-Waziiya, they have a real chance at Mocha and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. That's a major strategic shift. If they can't, the Houthis keep their foothold on the Red Sea.
Luke
And we won't know for days or weeks. This is the opening move of what could be a long campaign. The real test is whether the government can sustain momentum and coordinate ground forces with air support.
Il Polso
- Yemen's government launched the 'Dawn of Yemen' offensive on Tuesday, targeting al-Waziiya — the mountainous district that controls the road to Mocha and the Red Sea — in its most ambitious push against Houthi forces in years.
- Government troops claim to have seized strategic hilltops overlooking the al-Mansoura area, while the Houthis insist they repelled the advance, leaving the true front line contested and the outcome uncertain.
- The same day ground forces moved in, Houthi ballistic missiles struck two Saudi airports near the Yemen border, wounding three people, and a third missile targeting Khamis Mushait was intercepted — a reminder that the war's violence flows in multiple directions simultaneously.
- One hundred Saudi-led coalition fighter jets are providing air cover for the offensive, and both Pakistan and Turkey are preparing to deploy forces to Saudi Arabia under a mutual defence pact, marking a significant widening of the conflict's international footprint.
- Control of al-Waziiya is the prerequisite for everything that follows — without the high ground, Mocha stays out of reach, and without Mocha, the government's sweeping goal of retaking Sanaa itself remains a distant ambition.
In the highlands between Taiz and the Red Sea, Yemen's internationally recognized government has opened what it calls the 'Dawn of Yemen' offensive, targeting the mountainous district of al-Waziiya as the essential first step toward reclaiming the port of Mocha and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait — one of the world's most consequential maritime passages. The campaign, backed by a hundred Saudi coalition aircraft and the prospective deployment of Pakistani and Turkish forces, reflects how deeply this decade-long conflict has become entangled in the security calculations of distant capitals. What unfolds on these contested highlands may determine not only the fate of a port city, but the trajectory of a war that has reshaped the Arabian Peninsula and the waters surrounding it.
Yemen's government-aligned forces opened a new front on Tuesday, moving into al-Waziiya, a mountainous district in Taiz province that sits between the city of Taiz and the Red Sea port of Mocha. The operation is the opening move of the 'Dawn of Yemen' offensive, announced days earlier by Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, with the stated ambition of reclaiming all Houthi-held territory — including Sanaa, the capital the group seized in 2014.
The strategic logic of al-Waziiya is straightforward and unforgiving: the district's highlands command the approaches to Mocha, which the Houthis captured in a rapid offensive last month, and by extension offer leverage over the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a chokepoint through which a significant share of global maritime trade passes. The Houthis understood this sequencing when they took the high ground before taking the port. The government must now reverse that logic, step by step.
Yemen's army media centre reported that the Homeland Shield Forces had secured strategic hills overlooking the al-Mansoura area, with Houthi fighters said to be withdrawing. The Houthis offered a contradictory account, claiming they had held their positions and repelled the assault — a familiar pattern of competing narratives in a conflict where battlefield truth is rarely immediate.
The offensive is not unfolding in isolation. On the same day ground forces advanced, Houthi missiles struck King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz airport in Jazan and Najran airport, both close to the Yemeni border, wounding three people and causing material damage. A ballistic missile aimed at Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia was intercepted by air defences. The Saudi-led coalition's spokesperson identified the launch sites as Sanaa, Saada, and Amran, and pledged to continue destroying them.
The coalition's role in the al-Waziiya operation is substantial: one hundred fighter jets are providing air support for the ground advance. Beyond that, Pakistan and Turkey have agreed to activate deterrence measures under their defence pact with Saudi Arabia, with both countries readying forces for potential rapid deployment to the Gulf kingdom. The internationalisation of the campaign signals that this offensive is being treated as something more than a local tactical push.
What the coming days reveal in al-Waziiya's hills will serve as an early verdict on whether the 'Dawn of Yemen' campaign has the coordination and momentum to translate ambition into territorial reality — or whether the Houthis, as they have done before, will absorb the pressure and hold.
Yemen's government-aligned forces moved to seize a mountainous district in Taiz on Tuesday, marking the opening phase of what officials are calling a comprehensive campaign to wrest back territory held by the Houthis since the Iran-backed group took control of the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. The operation targets al-Waziiya, a strategic highland area that sits between Taiz and Mocha, the Red Sea port the Houthis captured in a rapid offensive last month. Control of this district is not incidental to the broader fight—it is foundational. Any serious attempt by the government to reclaim Mocha and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints, must first secure the high ground that al-Waziiya commands.
The push is formally part of what Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, announced on Sunday as the "Dawn of Yemen" offensive. The stated aim is sweeping: to retake all remaining Houthi-held territory, including Sanaa itself. The Homeland Shield Forces, a pro-government military faction, began the operation on Tuesday. According to Yemen's army media centre, government troops have already secured strategic hills overlooking the al-Mansoura area, with the Houthis reported to be in retreat. The Houthis disputed this account, claiming they had repelled the government advance and held their ground in al-Waziiya.
The fighting unfolded against a backdrop of intensifying cross-border strikes. On the same day the ground offensive commenced, Saudi Arabia's air defences intercepted a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis at Khamis Mushait, a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia. Earlier that morning, Houthi attacks had struck King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz airport in Jazan and Najran airport, both near the Yemen border. Three people were wounded in those strikes, and the airports sustained material damage. Major-General Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, said the Houthi missile threats originated from Sanaa and the governorates of Saada and Amran, and that the coalition would continue to "neutralise the threat" and destroy launch sources.
The Saudi-led coalition, which has backed Yemen's government throughout the conflict, is now actively participating in the al-Waziiya operation. One hundred coalition fighter jets are providing air support for the ground forces. This level of involvement signals a significant escalation in the campaign to reverse Houthi territorial gains. The coalition's commitment extends beyond Yemen's borders. Pakistan and Turkey have agreed to activate what they call "deterrence measures" under their mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia, with both nations preparing to rapidly deploy forces to the Gulf kingdom to counter Houthi attacks.
The strategic weight of al-Waziiya cannot be overstated. The district's mountainous terrain gives whoever controls it dominion over the approaches to Mocha and, by extension, leverage over the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. As one observer noted from Sanaa, the Houthis secured these highlands before they took Mocha itself—a deliberate sequencing that protected their flank. For the government to reverse that conquest, it must follow the same logic in reverse. Without al-Waziiya, Mocha remains unreachable. The offensive represents a test of whether the government, with Saudi air power and now the prospect of Pakistani and Turkish reinforcements, can execute a coordinated campaign to reclaim the Red Sea coast. What happens in this mountainous district over the coming days will likely determine whether the broader "Dawn of Yemen" campaign gains momentum or stalls.
Citazioni salienti
If the Yemeni government is serious about taking over the city of Mocha, they cannot do so unless they take over the region in the district of al-Waziiya.— Al Jazeera correspondent Yousef Mawry, reporting from Sanaa
The coalition continues to neutralise the threat posed by ballistic and surface-to-surface missiles and to destroy their launch sources.— Major-General Turki al-Maliki, Saudi-led coalition spokesperson
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