Yemen Government Launches “Dawn of Yemen” Operation to Retake Houthi Territory and Sanaa

Yemen’s internationally recognized government has announced the launch of a major military operation aimed at retaking all territory held by the Houthi militia, including the capital Sanaa.

The operation, codenamed “Dawn of Yemen,” was declared by Rashad al-Alimi, head of the Presidential Leadership Council, on Monday.

Alimi stated that the operation would continue until state institutions are restored and the country is liberated from Houthi control. “With God’s blessing, Operation ‘Dawn of Yemen’ has begun to restore state institutions, liberate the capital Sanaa, and end the coup by the Houthi militias,” Alimi said in a post on the platform X. He added that with the will of the Yemeni people, the bravery of the armed forces, and the support of allies, Yemen would move toward “a new dawn of freedom, peace and stability”.

The announcement came after Yemeni government forces reportedly seized strategic positions around the Bab al-Mandab Strait on Monday. Military spokesman Colonel Majid al-Nazili said forces from the Giants Brigade and the National Shield captured Bab al-Mandab and Dhubab district, cutting the route connecting Dhubab and Al-Makha and establishing fire control over the area. He stated that hundreds of Houthi fighters remain trapped in the Dhubab region and urged them to surrender, noting that some militia members managed to escape by sea using boats.

Lieutenant General Sagheer bin Aziz, Chief of the General Staff and Commander of Joint Operations, pledged that the operation “will not stop until Sanaa is recovered.”

He emphasized that the armed forces are determined to restore full sovereignty and liberate all Yemeni territory from Houthi control.

Bin Aziz also warned parents against allowing their children to join the Houthi militia, stressing that anyone who sides with the militia faces destruction.

The Saudi-led Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen announced its participation in the operation.

Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki stated that 100 fighter jets took part in the initial phase and that 324 high-value targets had been destroyed since the operation began.

He confirmed that the coalition is providing round-the-clock air support to Yemeni forces on the ground and securing air protection for the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Yemeni Prime Minister Dr. Sha’if Mohsen Al-Zandani has directed government institutions to prepare for the return of state services to areas reclaimed by government forces.

He emphasized that military progress must be accompanied by the restoration of civil, security, and service operations, including the payment of employee salaries and the reconstruction of infrastructure.

“We will not allow military progress to outpace administrative and service efforts,” Al-Zandani asserted.

Houthi-affiliated media denied that government forces had made progress in the Bab al-Mandab area, describing the claims as “completely untrue”.

The Houthis also announced they had targeted Saudi Aramco facilities in Riyadh and the Khurais area with ballistic missiles and drones, claiming the strikes caused large fires.

The Houthi military spokesman also warned civil aviation companies that Saudi airspace is “unsafe”.

The military escalation follows weeks of renewed fighting after several years of relative calm.

The Houthis recently captured swathes of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline and areas around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a critical chokepoint for international shipping.

Government sources reported that fighting in and around Taiz province killed more than 70 people over the past day, with 34 government troops and 39 Houthi fighters killed.

Alimi stated that the decision to launch the operation came after all opportunities for de-escalation were exhausted. He called on all armed forces “to begin carrying out their assigned missions, in accordance with the approved plans, until the country is liberated from the grip of the Houthi terrorist militia”.