Yemen's internationally recognized government has officially announced the launch of a major military operation directed at Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The declaration was made by Rashad al-Alimi, the head of the ruling Presidential Leadership Council, while speaking from Saudi Arabia. Al-Alimi stated that the operation is intended to recover remaining territories currently under the control of the Houthi movement, which recently executed its most significant land grab in years by seizing Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Al-Alimi has called upon the international community to provide support to his Saudi-backed government.
The announcement coincides with a period of intense escalation in the region. Houthi forces have launched a major offensive on the outskirts of Taiz, a key southwestern city that they have besieged for over a decade. This recent push has effectively disrupted a vital transportation artery connecting Taiz to the port city of Aden, which serves as the seat of al-Alimi’s government. In response to the ongoing conflict, the Yemeni military, backed by Riyadh, claimed responsibility for striking “vital targets” in the capital, Sanaa, and the northern province of Saada on the border with Saudi Arabia. The Houthis acknowledged that airstrikes hit Sanaa overnight, though they provided no further details. Meanwhile, Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed in a prerecorded statement that the rebels fired drones and missiles at Saudi oil facilities, specifically targeting sites belonging to the state-run Aramco company in Riyadh and the Kurais area, located 150 kilometers (90 miles) southeast of the capital.
This renewed military activity marks a significant escalation in the conflict, effectively reviving Yemen’s civil war following a four-year ceasefire. The broader regional tensions include reports from Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who stated that Washington recently submitted proposals via a mediator, though he provided no specifics. Qalibaf asserted that the era of “dragging out time and dictating unilateral demands is over” and maintained that Iran’s seven conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz remain in effect. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi indicated that while Iran remains open to diplomatic solutions, any further military confrontation would be met with a stronger response.
In a separate development in Tehran, state television reported the resignation of Iran’s oil minister. President Masoud Pezeshkian has accepted the resignation and appointed Hamid Bovard as the caretaker minister, replacing Mohsen Paknejad. The reason for the resignation remains unclear, though it occurs as Iran’s oil exports face mounting pressure from tightened U.S. sanctions and a naval blockade. Iran has demanded that Washington lift sanctions on its oil sales and end the blockade as part of negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz.
Maritime security also remains a concern, with the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center reporting that a projectile struck a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, causing damage to the engine room. While it remains unclear who launched the attack, the crew was reported to be safe. Monitors noted that attacks on the Omani side of the strait, where the U.S. military has been guiding vessels, have continued. Overall ship traffic on the strait remains below prewar levels.
Separately, in Gaza, an Israeli strike on a civilian vehicle killed one Palestinian and wounded at least 11 others, according to health officials at the Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Israel’s military stated it targeted a known Hamas militant. In a later incident, a Turkish aid agency, the Deniz Feneri Association, reported that one of its volunteers was killed in an Israeli attack. Israel's military claimed it “eliminated” a Hamas militant it described as the aid group's director. According to the territory’s Health Ministry, Israeli strikes have killed at least 1,445 Palestinians in Gaza since a ceasefire was reached with Hamas nearly a year ago, while seven Israeli soldiers have been killed in the enclave during the same period.
It was not immediately clear who launched the attack or when it was carried out. The UKMTO said the crew was reportedly safe.
