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Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, declared the launch of large-scale military operations aimed at restoring full state control throughout the country. In a televised address broadcast from Riyadh, al-Alimi instructed armed forces, security units and all military formations to execute an approved plan until the nation is freed from Houthi control. He framed the decision as a response to continued Houthi mobilization, attacks on civilians and threats to neighboring states as well as international shipping lanes.[[1]](https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/head-yemens-presidential-council-announces-military-operations-retake-territory-2026-10-04/)
The announcement follows a lightning Houthi offensive last month that seized control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and large stretches of the Red Sea coastline, areas that collapsed under government forces according to multiple regional officials cited by Reuters. In recent days the group has also captured strategic hilltops near Taiz, cutting the primary supply route linking that city to Aden where the internationally recognised government is based. These advances have effectively encircled Taiz while placing further pressure on maritime traffic through a passage that has grown in importance amid disruptions elsewhere in the region.[[2]](https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/yemen-leader-announces-major-military-operations-against-iran-backed-houthis/)
Government forces conducted 257 precision strikes on Saturday targeting Houthi command centers, reinforcements and supply lines across Sanaa, Taiz and other fronts, a spokesman for the armed forces told Arab News. Initial assessments from those operations placed Houthi losses at around 700 fighters along with the destruction of 170 combat vehicles and various weapons depots, the spokesman added. A Saudi-led coalition spokesman separately accused the Houthis of pursuing external agendas that have only deepened chaos across the country.[[3]](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/4/yemens-leader-announces-military-operation-to-retake-houthi-held-territory)
Al-Alimi stressed that the campaign does not constitute a war against residents of Sanaa, Saada, Hodeidah or any other province under Houthi influence, nor is it aimed at any particular sect or tribe. He urged civilians in militia-held zones to distance themselves from Houthi concentrations and to shield their children from recruitment into the fighting. Every reclaimed city would subsequently enter a phase of stability, recovery and reconstruction, he added, with success measured by the restoration of security for ordinary citizens.[[4]](https://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/al-alimi-announces-launch-of-military-operations-against-houthi-militias-3004567)
The offensive marks a significant escalation in a civil conflict that has ravaged Yemen since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention the following year. The country, long ranked among the world’s poorest, continues to grapple with one of the most severe humanitarian crises on record, a situation compounded by repeated disruptions to Red Sea shipping that have affected global trade routes. Western and regional diplomats had anticipated a counteroffensive involving Saudi air support and Yemeni ground operations, according to earlier Reuters briefings.[[5]](https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/04/middleeast/yemen-offensive-houthis-intl)
Yemeni military sources confirmed that Houthi fighters advanced through districts in southwestern Taiz on Sunday, forcing further retreats by government units even as the new campaign was publicly declared. Al-Alimi, who also serves as commander-in-chief, described the move as a transition from preparation to decisive action after the National Defense Council reviewed the situation. The coming days are expected to reveal the scale and initial outcomes of coordinated operations across the various active fronts.
