The internationally-recognized government of Yemen said on Monday that its forces staged a successful counterattack against the Iran-backed Houthi insurgency and recaptured key positions around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital chokepoint along the Red Sea shipping route.
Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, a spokesman for the regional military coalition led by Saudi Arabia, said heavy airpower from the alliance destroyed 324 “high-value” Houthi targets over the weekend, paving the way for the advance.
Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said on Monday that his government’s forces were now effectively in control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait after seizing the vital Dhubab airstrip and cutting off Houthi forces in the region.
According to Eryani, hundreds of Houthi fighters in Dhubab have been surrounded and may soon surrender and government forces have secured the road to Mokha, a historic port city that was captured by the Houthis in early September.
Col. Majed al-Nuzaili, a spokesman for Yemen’s armed forces, said a “strategic offensive” using “advanced capabilities” is now underway against Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, which was seized by the Houthis in 2014.
“With God’s aid, the will of our people, the valor of our armed forces and all military formations, and the support of our brothers and friends, Yemen will march towards a new dawn of freedom, peace, and stability,” said Rashad al-Alimi, head of the Yemeni government in exile, known as the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC).
Alimi said this weekend marked the beginning of “Operation Yemen Dawn,” a major offensive to recapture Sanaa and end the “coup” launched by the Houthis over 12 years ago. He said his forces were prepared to fight “until the country is liberated from the grip of the terrorist militia.”
Houthi media confirmed airstrikes against Sanaa but rejected all of the government’s other claims as “completely untrue.”
In southwestern Yemen, the Houthis said they made progress toward capturing Yemen’s third-largest city of Taiz and have been able to expel government forces from the district of the city where President Alimi’s home is located. The Yemeni armed forces confirmed the Houthi advance, and said Taiz is effectively surrounded.
Taiz has been under siege by the Houthis since the Yemeni civil war began. Capturing the city would be a major accomplishment due to its size, historic significance, and control of the roads leading to the port city of Aden where the Yemeni government resettled after the Houthis captured Sanaa.
The Houthis said on Saturday they are still launching attacks on Saudi Arabia, including a combined missile and drone strike on an oil facility in the capital of Riyadh owned by Saudi Arabia, the national oil company.
The Saudi government did not immediately confirm the attack or offer a damage estimate, but eyewitnesses said flames and smoke were visible from the vicinity of the Aramco facility. The Houthis have attacked a number of other Aramco facilities since hostilities flared up last month, but the Saudi coalition claimed it was able to intercept most of their attacks.
On Monday, the Foreign Ministry of Bangladesh said that a Bangladeshi national who was employed by Aramco was killed by the Houthi attack. The ministry expressed “deep shock and sorrow” over his death, condemned the Houthi attack, and offered “sincere condolences to the bereaved family and relatives of the deceased.”