Yemen’s internationally recognised government says its forces are advancing against the Houthis after killing at least 1,150 fighters in operations carried out over the past 24 hours.
Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili, a spokesman for the Yemeni government forces, said almost 2,000 targeted operations had been conducted nationwide under an operation named “Dawn of Yemen”.
He claimed the offensive had destroyed Houthi ammunition depots and at least 180 combat, transport and supply vehicles. Ground forces, he added, were continuing their assault.
The claims could not be independently verified.
Saudi-backed Yemeni forces are seeking to recapture territory around the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a vital route for shipping entering and leaving the Red Sea. Fighting has intensified around the southern coastal cities of Mocha and Dhubab, which are considered strategically important to control of the passage.
The Houthis have controlled Sanaa and parts of north-western Yemen since 2014. They seized the area around the strait in September, although both sides claim control of the shipping lanes.
Fighting threatens to spread beyond Yemen
The latest escalation follows an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, which killed and injured several people and led to flights being cancelled. The Houthis have not claimed responsibility for the incident.
President Donald Trump said the United States would decide soon whether to join strikes against the group following the attack.
The Iran-aligned Houthis have warned airlines against using Saudi airspace, saying aircraft operating there would be considered targets except over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
The group is also preparing for the conflict to widen, including possible involvement by Pakistan. It has warned that Pakistani military activity on behalf of Saudi Arabia would be treated in the same way as Saudi operations, with ballistic missile attacks and attacks on Pakistan-flagged vessels in the Red and Arabian seas threatened.
Baraa Shiban, an associate fellow in international security and Yemen expert at the Royal United Services Institute, said the fighting was spreading across several fronts and that no regional or local mediators were currently able to ease the situation.
