Yemen says Dawn of Yemen offensive has neutralised 1,860 Houthi fighters
Yemeni government forces say they have intensified their counter-offensive against the Houthis, claiming to have carried out 2,103 "precise targeting operations" since the launch of the "Dawn of Yemen" campaign. In a social media post early on Thursday local time, the government's army spokesperson said the strikes were directed at Houthi military positions across several fronts. The same statement said 1,860 Houthi fighters had been "neutralised" since the operation began.
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Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, announced the operation on Sunday with the stated aim of retaking all Houthi-held territory, including the capital, Sanaa. The latest claims come as fighting has concentrated in recent days around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the city of Mocha. Government-aligned forces launched an operation on Tuesday to capture strategic territory near the strait, after the Houthis had taken Mocha in September.
The conflict has immediate strategic significance because the Bab al-Mandeb Strait is a major shipping route linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The supplied material says the route has become more important for energy exports since the conflict between the United States and Iran restricted trade through the Strait of Hormuz. That makes the fighting around Yemen's southern Red Sea coast relevant not only to the battlefield, but also to regional trade and maritime security.
The latest escalation also follows a series of Houthi attacks on airports in Saudi Arabia, which the government side says helped trigger the renewed campaign. According to the supplied material, attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha International Airport on Tuesday and Wednesday killed three people and wounded dozens more. The Saudi-led coalition said on Wednesday that it had destroyed 82 Houthi military targets in Saada, Hodeidah, al-Jawf and Marib, including ballistic missile sites, command centres, communications systems and weapons storage facilities.
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Yemen's war has been divided for years, with the Houthis controlling Sanaa since 2014 and the internationally recognised government operating from elsewhere. The current operation is presented by the government as an attempt to reverse those gains and restore state authority across territory held by the rebel group. The fighting around Mocha and Bab al-Mandeb also reflects how the conflict has repeatedly spilled into areas with wider regional and economic importance.
What remains unclear is how much territory has changed hands, whether the government's claimed strikes have altered the balance on the ground, and how the Houthis will respond. It is also not clear whether the fighting will spread beyond the fronts already named or further disrupt shipping through the Red Sea corridor. The next developments to watch are confirmed battlefield changes, any civilian impact, and whether the campaign leads to wider escalation.
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