Yemeni government forces have launched a series of military operations against Houthi positions across multiple front lines. The move follows a period of renewed shelling in Marib, raising concerns that the country’s fragile stability may be collapsing into a broader war.
A military spokesperson announced on Saturday that the offensive targeted Houthi “capabilities and forces” along “multiple axes and along the line of contact.” The operation was described as a necessary measure to “protect unarmed civilians.” This escalation comes in the wake of Houthi missile and drone strikes on Thursday that hit the provinces of Hadramout and Marib, resulting in the deaths of at least 30 government soldiers and leaving 15 others wounded.
Deputy Information Minister Mohammed Gezan confirmed that the Houthis had resumed targeting civilian neighborhoods in Marib city with drones and missiles. The city currently serves as a refuge for more than 2 million of Yemen’s nearly 5 million displaced people. According to the Health Ministry, an attack on Friday killed two civilians and wounded 14 more. While the Houthis claimed they were striking a military camp on the city’s outskirts, the Yemeni army reported repelling a separate attack on Friday evening with no casualties.
Reporting from Sanaa, Al Jazeera’s Yousef Mawry noted that this is the first government-announced counteroffensive in several months. The government has framed the action as a direct response to a Houthi shift toward preemptive strikes against army positions. Conversely, the Houthis allege that their actions are a response to suspicions that government forces are coordinating with Saudi Arabia for a larger offensive against Houthi-controlled territory.
Elisabeth Kendall, a Middle East expert and president of Girton College at Cambridge, warned that the current escalation carries a “looming possibility” of returning Yemen to full-scale conflict. She noted that the 2022 truce has expired and that “the civil war in Yemen never really technically ended.” Kendall highlighted recent troop movements as clear warning signs, though she noted that government forces appear more unified than in previous years, a factor that could benefit them if Saudi Arabia intervenes.
The United Nations has issued a call for de-escalation, condemning both the recent Houthi missile strikes and the group’s ongoing attacks against oil tankers in the Red Sea.
