Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi announced Sunday the start of a major military operation to retake territory held by the Iran-backed Houthis, with Saudi Arabia leading the air campaign and Yemeni forces fighting on the ground. The Houthis responded by striking Saudi Aramco sites with missiles and drones, while separately pressing an advance near the city of Taiz.
Yemen's Saudi-backed president announced the start of a major military operation Sunday to retake the remaining territory held by the Houthis. Regional and Western officials had told Reuters earlier in the week that Saudi Arabia and its Yemeni allies were planning an assault on the Houthis, with the Saudis leading aerial combat.
According to Reuters: "assume the national responsibility of confronting the Houthi militia", Al-Alimi said, adding that opportunities for de-escalation had been exhausted.
Houthis strike Saudi Aramco sites
The Houthis said they launched ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi Aramco sites in Riyadh and the Khurais area, claiming the strikes caused major fires. They said the attacks came in response to 50 Saudi-led air and missile strikes on Yemen in the past 12 hours. There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia entered Yemen's civil war in 2015, leading an Arab coalition behind the internationally recognized government after the Houthis drove it from the capital Sanaa. A 2022 truce between the warring parties largely held until this year, when the Houthis attacked Saudi shipping and oil infrastructure in a spillover from the Iran war. The US is providing intelligence to support Riyadh's operations, while some regional and European nations supply mainly defensive military aid, according to six people with knowledge of the Saudi preparations.
A Red Sea route under pressure
The Houthis control northwest Yemen, home to most of the country's population, and weeks ago seized the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait in a rapid offensive that saw government forces collapse. The strait is the southern exit of the Red Sea and a key shipping route between the Mediterranean and Asia — one that has gained added importance this year as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, effectively closed by the Iran conflict.
Houthis advance on Taiz
In the last 48 hours, the Houthis made gains on strategic hilltops near Taiz, advancing on the last road connecting the city to Aden, where the Saudi-backed government is based. Houthi control of that road would lead to an effective siege of Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city, home to hundreds of thousands of civilians and thousands of government troops.
Taiz carries added weight because al-Alimi is from the region, and a siege would deepen an already dire humanitarian situation. The World Food Programme said last week that three-in-four families in parts of Yemen are going hungry amid the surge in fighting, which has displaced tens of thousands of people and disrupted supplies to millions.
Source: Commodities & Futures News
Trading involves risk.
Risk Disclaimer
