Yemen announces military campaign to reclaim land from Iran-backed Houthis

What the report says

Yemen's Saudi-backed government has announced a military campaign aimed at retaking territory from the Iran-backed Houthi movement, according to the BBC. President Rashad al-Alimi said in a televised address that operations had begun to restore state authority across what remains outside government control. The announcement comes as fighting and air strikes intensify again after a period of relative calm.

The report says recent exchanges have involved Houthi claims of missile and drone attacks on Saudi oil company Aramco facilities, alongside Saudi-led coalition strikes inside Yemen. The Houthis said their attacks were in response to coalition air and missile strikes, while Saudi Arabia had not publicly commented at the time of the report. The BBC notes that both sides have been targeting each other amid a wider escalation that has affected sites in Sanaa, Saada and areas near Taiz.

A key focus remains Taiz, a strategically important city still held by the internationally recognised government. The BBC reports that Houthi forces have cut a supply route linking Taiz with Aden, the government's interim capital, raising concerns the city could be further isolated. The Houthis also control Yemen's Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which has significance for regional shipping and global oil flows.

More broadly, the conflict began in 2014 and later drew in Saudi Arabia-led intervention. Yemen remains in deep humanitarian crisis, and the BBC suggests the latest announcement may signal a possible new phase in a war that has repeatedly spilled into regional security and energy markets.