The Saudi-backed government of Yemen on Sunday announced a major military campaign against the Houthi militia, a key Iranian ally, plunging the Middle East even deeper into war.
In a televised speech, Rashad al-Alimi, the leader of the internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government, said that the government was seeking to reclaim all the territory it had lost to the Houthis over the past 12 years.
The government and the Houthis have been engaged in fierce battles in recent weeks, after the Iran-allied militia took control of the country’s Red Sea coast, increasing pressure on shipping routes and energy markets unsettled by the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
The Houthis and Saudi Arabia, which supports government financially and militarily, have also attacked each other directly.
Mr. al-Alimi’s announcement appeared to eliminate any hope that a truce would be reached. In his speech, he said that the government’s military operations would continue “until the country is liberated.”
The Houthis also say that they are fighting to liberate Yemen, and have dismissed government fighters as Saudi mercenaries. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, said in a statement on Sunday that the group’s fighters “will not stop carrying out further painful operations against the Saudi enemy.”
The two sides have been battling since 2014, when the Houthis took over the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, forcing out the government. Saudi Arabia led a bombing campaign to try to restore the government, contributing to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people from violence, hunger and disease. The Houthis eventually created a de facto state in northern Yemen.
A truce in 2022 brought a fragile peace. But the conflict reignited this year, after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in February.
The Saudi government has not publicly acknowledged any role in the new offensive announced by Mr. al-Alimi, and did not respond to a request for comment.
The Houthis have accused Saudi Arabia of launching hundreds of airstrikes in their territory in recent weeks, and any major ground operation by the Yemeni government would likely include the Saudis, according to analysts.
“We cannot help but express our profound gratitude to our loyal brethren in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Mr. al-Alimi said, adding that the Saudi government had “stood by Yemen during its most trying times.” Much of the Yemeni government operates from Riyadh, the Saudi capital.
It was not immediately clear what role the United States or other Saudi allies might play in the government’s counteroffensive. Britain recently announced that it would provide limited refueling support to Saudi warplanes, while American officials have provided intelligence and targeting support to Saudi Arabia to counter the Houthis in recent months.
The latest cycle of violence began in July, after the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of bombing Sanaa’s airport. The Houthis responded by launching drone and ballistic-missile attacks inside Saudi Arabia, while also declaring a blockade on Saudi shipping in the Red Sea.
As the conflict has escalated, it has drawn Yemen more deeply into the wider war between the United States and Iran. With shipping through the Strait of Hormuz disrupted for months, Saudi Arabia had become more reliant on oil export routes through the Red Sea.
Last month, the Houthis seized territory beside the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a crucial maritime choke point.
In recent weeks, the militia expanded its territory. On Sunday, it moved closer to encircling Taiz, one of Yemen’s largest cities.
Houthi forces also captured Al-Turbah, a government-held town south of Taiz that sits on the main road linking the city to Aden, the temporary seat of Yemen’s government, according to two Yemeni officials who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive military deployments.
The seizure gave the Houthis control over a crucial supply route and leaves Taiz increasingly isolated from the government-held south. The city sits at a strategic crossroads between Houthi-held northern Yemen, the government-controlled south and the Red Sea coast — making it a crucial prize for both sides.
“We remain anxious and afraid, fearing that the Houthis may enter the city,” said Ala’a, a Taiz resident who asked that only his first name be used because of possible reprisals. “It is the first time I have seen my neighbors’ children still awake at 3 a.m. because of the bombardment.”
Yemen has been devastated by more than a decade of war and the latest escalation has only compounded its humanitarian crisis. More than 800 people have been killed since the fighting erupted last month, according to the World Health Organization, while the World Food Program says more than 150,000 people have been displaced.
On Saturday, the Houthis claimed a missile and drone attack had caused fires at a facility owned by Aramco, the Saudi state-controlled energy company, in Riyadh. Videos verified by The New York Times showed a fire at an oil refinery in the city belonging to the company.
Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki, the spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, rejected the Houthi account in comments to the Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, calling the group’s claim to have targeted Riyadh “misleading.”
Houthi-run media reported that Saudi Arabia had carried out a fresh attack on Sanaa, the Yemeni capital. Saudi officials did not comment.
Shuaib Almosawa and Dylan Collins contributed reporting.
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