Yemen's government forces launch major counteroffensive to retake Sanaa from Houthis

Yemen's government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, have launched a coordinated push to recapture Sanaa from Houthi rebels who have held the capital since 2014. The offensive marks the most serious escalation since a United Nations-brokered truce halted large-scale fighting in 2022, with clashes now spreading across multiple provinces and casualties mounting rapidly.

Fighting intensified on Monday across Taiz, al-Bayda, and al-Jawf—the last of which serves as the primary gateway to Sanaa. Government forces claimed to have conducted rocket and drone strikes against Houthi positions while reporting intensive ground battles. The Houthis, for their part, said they repelled an offensive in al-Jawf and reported that at least seven people were killed in an air strike on a prison in the town of al-Hazm, which they attributed to Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia countered by accusing the Houthis of wounding at least 73 civilians, including women and children, in recent attacks on the kingdom's southern provinces and promised a response to what it called a "dangerous escalation."

Yemen's deputy defence minister, Major-General Samir Al-Sabri, announced on state television that the government has decided to "retake Sanaa." Majid al-Nuzaili, a spokesman for Yemen's government-aligned forces, framed the campaign as an effort to "liberate Yemen from the grip" of the Houthis and "restore Sanaa as a capital for all Yemenis." He warned civilians to avoid major roads leading into the capital, specifically naming routes connecting Sanaa with Marib and al-Jawf through towns including Nihm, Sirwah, Mahliyah, and al-Hazm.

The current fighting resumed in July when government forces struck the Houthi-controlled airport in Sanaa, blocking an aircraft from Iran. Last week, the Houthis launched a major offensive attempting to advance through western Taiz and southern Hodeidah toward the port city of al-Makha and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea. The Houthis had declared a blockade against Saudi vessels transiting the waterway, a vital shipping corridor between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The strait has taken on heightened importance for Saudi oil exports since Iran began restricting passage through the Strait of Hormuz following the outbreak of the United States and Israel's war on Iran.

Al Jazeera's Yemen affairs editor observed that government forces appear to have "absorbed the initial shock" of the rebel offensive and expanded fighting across several fronts to stretch Houthi forces and increase pressure on them. The fighting, which was initially concentrated west of Taiz and south of Hodeidah, has now spread to al-Dhalea, Marib, al-Jawf, and al-Bayda. Al-Jawf holds particular strategic weight because it borders Saudi Arabia and connects toward Saada, the Houthis' main stronghold. Al-Bayda is centrally located within Yemen and connects eight governorates—four in the north and four in the south.

The human toll has been severe. The World Health Organization reported on Monday that at least 728 people have been killed or wounded since August 23, with the majority in Taiz and along the western coast. An estimated 21,000 people—roughly 3,000 families—have been displaced from Taiz alone since Thursday. Al Jazeera's correspondent reporting from Sanaa noted that the casualty count is expected to rise further as Monday's figures were not yet included, with hundreds more casualties reported from both sides, particularly from air strikes in al-Jawf.

Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen's Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council, claimed sweeping gains on Monday, crediting government forces with advances in al-Jawf, al-Bayda, Taiz, and Hodeidah. He stated that armed forces would "continue to carry out their constitutional duty until state institutions are restored and their authority extends over the entire territory of Yemen." He accused the Houthis of choosing escalation over peace and said the group would bear full responsibility for the consequences. Government-aligned forces reported carrying out air attacks against Houthi positions west of Taiz late Monday, a ground offensive toward the al-Labanat mountains in al-Jawf, and rocket attacks on Yatma. They claimed to have advanced to the outskirts of Dhi Na'im district in al-Bayda.

The Houthis disputed these claims. Mohammed al-Farah, a member of the Houthi political bureau, said dozens of government-aligned fighters were killed or wounded in the al-Labanat mountains and that Houthi forces targeted reinforcements with ballistic missiles, destroying or damaging dozens of vehicles and armoured vehicles. The group also released footage of what it said was a ballistic missile strike on trucks carrying military equipment from Saudi territory at the al-Wadiah camp in Hadramawt. Al Jazeera could not independently verify the battlefield claims made by either side. The fighting has unraveled what many diplomats had hoped would evolve into a durable political settlement, and the escalation threatens to further destabilize Red Sea shipping routes already strained by regional tensions.