Yemeni gov’t forces aim for Sanaa, but Houthi defeat will be a challenge

What the report says

Yemeni government-aligned forces have said they made new advances near the Bab al-Mandeb strait in western Yemen as part of a wider offensive announced by Rashad al-Alimi, head of the internationally recognised Presidential Leadership Council, to retake territory held by the Houthis. According to Al Jazeera’s report on October 5, 2026, the forces said they had moved north along the Red Sea coast and retaken Dhubab and the port city of Mocha, while also describing the operation as a push toward the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa.

The fighting is centered on several strategic areas, including the Red Sea coast and the Taiz region in the southwest. Al Jazeera said the government is also trying to reverse recent Houthi gains around Taiz, after the group made advances there and along the coast in early September. The Houthis, who have controlled Sanaa since 2014, remain deeply embedded in northern and western Yemen, which makes any attempt to dislodge them difficult.

The report framed the latest moves as part of a broader escalation in Yemen’s long-running war. Analysts cited by Al Jazeera said the anti-Houthi camp remains fragmented and that government forces, while sizeable, face logistical and organizational limits. The significance of the offensive is that it may test whether the government can turn public declarations into battlefield gains, but the article also suggested that a decisive military victory remains unlikely without a broader political settlement.