Yemen’s military, supported by Saudi airstrikes, launched an extensive campaign on Monday aimed at recapturing territory held by the armed group Ansar Allah, following recent rapid gains by the group during the ongoing Middle East war. According to official statements, Yemeni forces executed over 1,000 air and ground strikes, while the Saudi-led coalition reported that around 100 warplanes participated in dawn attacks in support of the offensive.
The Yemeni government announced its objective on Sunday to reclaim all areas controlled by Ansar Allah, many of which have been under the group’s control for more than a decade. This followed Ansar Allah’s seizure of key stretches of coastline along the Red Sea and the strategic Bab el Mandab strait last month, a critical maritime chokepoint for oil and commercial shipping.
The conflict in Yemen, one of the poorest countries globally and sharing a border with Saudi Arabia, has intensified in recent months alongside the broader Middle East war, which has contributed to rising global crude oil prices. Since a ceasefire collapsed in July, Ansar Allah has attacked Saudi oil infrastructure and tankers in the Red Sea, while accusing the Saudi-led coalition of conducting hundreds of airstrikes against its positions.
A spokesperson for Yemen’s military detailed that the strikes targeted artillery and rocket launchers, defensive fortifications, supply routes, logistics hubs, and reinforcements, signaling an effort to degrade the group’s operational capabilities. Saudi coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki described the campaign, dubbed "Operation Dawn of Yemen," as providing continuous air support to ground forces.
Despite the heavy bombardment, Ansar Allah has continued to make ground advances. On Sunday, the group encircled the city of Taiz by cutting off the main supply route connecting the city to Aden, the interim government’s capital. Residents of Taiz expressed determination to remain in the city, with one local stating, “We cannot leave the city. It is impossible for us to leave. We will stay and die inside this city.” Government forces retain control of Taiz, but it has been surrounded by Ansar Allah fighters for years and remains a major conflict zone.
Analysts caution that while the encirclement of Taiz represents a noteworthy development, it is premature to view it as a decisive turning point in the war. Ahmed Nagi, a senior Yemen analyst with the International Crisis Group, emphasized the fluid and complex nature of the conflict.
The Yemen war originally began before the latest Middle East hostilities, starting with Ansar Allah’s capture of the capital Sanaa in 2014, which displaced the internationally recognized government. Since Saudi Arabia and allied nations intervened militarily in 2015, the protracted civil war has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and created a severe humanitarian crisis. According to United Nations data, Ansar Allah’s recent offensives have displaced over 145,000 people, highlighting the ongoing toll on civilians caught in the fighting.