Yemeni forces launch counteroffensive against Houthis, vow to retake Sanaa

What the report says

Forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government have launched a counteroffensive against Houthi rebels and said they intend to retake Sanaa, the capital the Houthis seized in 2014. Al Jazeera reported that the latest fighting is centered in several provinces, especially al-Bayda and al-Jawf, which officials view as important routes toward the capital. The escalation follows renewed clashes that resumed in July after a period of relative calm under a UN-brokered truce in 2022.

Yemeni officials said government-aligned forces carried out air strikes and advanced on multiple fronts, while Houthi officials claimed they repelled attacks and inflicted losses. Al Jazeera’s reporting noted that the rival claims could not be independently verified. The article said the government’s leadership described the campaign as part of an effort to restore state authority across Yemen and warned civilians to avoid roads leading into Sanaa from Marib and al-Jawf.

The renewed conflict has raised humanitarian concerns. The World Health Organization said nearly 900 people had been killed or wounded since the latest fighting intensified, with thousands displaced from Taiz. The article also linked the military escalation to wider regional tensions and to the strategic importance of routes near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a major shipping corridor. Overall, the developments suggest the Yemen conflict is moving away from the fragile truce and back toward broader confrontation.