Yemen's leader declares counter-offensive as Houthis effectively encircle Taiz
Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council chief Rashad al-Alimi announced a broad military operation to retake territory from Iran-backed Houthi forces, as fighters cut off the main supply route into the besieged city of Taiz.
The head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, announced on Sunday the launch of a new military campaign aimed at reclaiming all territory currently under the control of Iran-backed Houthi fighters. In his statement, he called on the armed forces, security services and all military units to carry out their assigned missions and free the country from Houthi control, restoring state authority nationwide.
The announcement follows a swift Houthi offensive last month that handed the group control over large stretches of Yemen's Red Sea coastline.
Taiz effectively surrounded
Earlier Sunday, multiple security sources told AFP that Houthi forces had cut the main supply route into the government-held city of Taiz, effectively encircling it. Fighters seized the al-Safiya area, blocking the road and taking over a local police station. Several military sources confirmed the Houthis had also halted traffic on the main road connecting Taiz to Aden.
Taiz itself remains under government control but has long been besieged from the north, east and west, making it one of the main front lines in Yemen's civil war. A researcher at the Chatham House think-tank noted that the Houthis have achieved their objective of isolating Taiz from Aden, even without fully capturing the city.
Saudi involvement
The Houthi-run television channel reported Saudi airstrikes in the northern governorates of al-Jawf and Saada, wounding at least two people. This came a day after Yemen's government said it had struck Houthi targets across the country, including the capital Sanaa and areas near Taiz. Given the Yemeni government's limited air capabilities, experts believe the strikes were most likely carried out by Saudi warplanes rather than Yemen's own air force.
Since 2015, when a Saudi-led coalition intervened in support of the government, Riyadh's forces have carried out the bulk of airstrikes against the Houthis. The war reignited in July amid the wider Middle East conflict, and fighting intensified in September when the Houthis launched a rapid offensive that seized the entire Yemeni Red Sea coast, including the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait. Yemen, one of the world's poorest countries, continues to face a severe humanitarian crisis.
