October 04, 2026

Yemen's Government Announces Major Offensive Against Houthis — Shipping Lanes at Risk

By The Night Desk

Headline card by The Night Desk — no publicly released scene photos yet

Government declares major operation

Yemen's Saudi-backed government has announced the beginning of a major military operation to turn back recent advances by the Houthi militant group.

The head of Yemen's presidential council, Rashad al-Alimi, said in a televised speech on Sunday that the military operations aimed to reclaim the remaining territory held by the Houthis and restore state authority across the country.

Al-Alimi said the decision followed "the Houthi militias' continued mobilization, escalation and attacks, as well as their threats against civilians, facilities, neighboring countries, and international shipping lanes."

How it escalated

Last month, the Iran-backed Houthis carried out a lightning offensive down the Red Sea coast, seizing control of a key port and pushing as far south as the critical Bab el-Mandeb waterway — a chokepoint for commercial shipping crossing into the Indian Ocean.

An offensive had been widely expected amid dozens of Saudi airstrikes against Houthi positions. The Houthis reported Saudi airstrikes against the capital Sanaa on Saturday and again early Sunday; the Saudi coalition did not confirm the strikes.

Retaliation claims

In retaliation for more than 50 airstrikes against Sanaa and other locations, the Houthis claimed Sunday that they had struck vital Saudi energy facilities.

"The first targeted Aramco company in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and the second targeted Aramco company in the Khurais area," a Houthi military statement said, claiming large fires at the targeted sites.

There has been no word from the Saudis on the claimed strikes.

Why it matters

• The renewed fighting has already forced tens of thousands of people from their homes.
• Three out of every four families in parts of Yemen are going hungry because of the surge in fighting, the World Food Program said last week.
• The Houthis have fired ballistic missiles and drones at multiple targets in Saudi Arabia since late July, including industrial and energy infrastructure.
• On Monday, officials from Saudi Arabia will convene with Turkish and Pakistani officials in Riyadh to discuss regional developments under a NATO-style defense pact established in August.

The war in Yemen, which began in March 2015, had killed 377,000 people by the end of 2021, according to the United Nations.

Source: CNN. This story is developing — details are still coming in.

Source: CNN — read the original report