SANAA, Yemen | Yemen’s internationally recognized government has announced the start of a major military operation to retake territory controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi movement, marking a significant escalation in the country’s long-running war as tensions also remain high around the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, announced the operation on Sunday, ordering the armed forces and other military formations to carry out an approved plan aimed at restoring state authority across the country. Al-Alimi said state institutions would remain on full alert until the operation is completed.
The announcement follows a sharp increase in fighting. Yemen’s government forces said they conducted 257 precision operations against Houthi positions and military capabilities on Saturday, while the Saudi-led coalition said it carried out 97 strikes against Houthi reinforcements along the Taiz and Tor al-Baha fronts. Government military spokesman Col. Majed al-Nazili claimed initial estimates indicated about 700 Houthis had been killed, although such battlefield casualty figures could not be independently verified.
The escalation comes after Saudi Arabia began considering a broader offensive against the Houthis, according to Reuters, amid increased Houthi attacks on Saudi territory and energy infrastructure. On Saturday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for a missile and drone attack near an Aramco facility in Riyadh. Saudi authorities and Aramco had not immediately confirmed the reported attack.
Yemen’s conflict dates back to 2014, when the Houthis and allied forces seized Sanaa and expanded their control over parts of the country. Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened militarily in March 2015 at the request of the internationally recognized government. The war subsequently produced a prolonged humanitarian crisis and repeated attempts at diplomatic settlement.
A UN-brokered nationwide truce in 2022 halted major offensive operations and cross-border attacks for a period, but the underlying political conflict remained unresolved. The latest fighting represents another serious breakdown in efforts to contain the conflict.
The developments in Yemen are unfolding alongside a separate but closely watched confrontation over the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran says the strategic waterway will not reopen until Washington meets seven conditions contained in a June interim agreement, according to Iranian state media cited by Reuters.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Tehran had received a US response to its diplomatic proposal but maintained that the conditions must be fulfilled before the strait is reopened. Iranian officials have also denied that Tehran offered nuclear inspections in exchange for sanctions relief, while saying diplomatic contacts through mediators remain active.
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea and is one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints. The US Energy Information Administration estimated that fighting there could add further pressure to already disrupted regional trade routes.
For now, the two developments underscore the widening strategic risks across the Middle East, with Yemen facing a renewed ground offensive and Iran continuing to use access to a major global shipping chokepoint as leverage in negotiations with the United States.
about 20.9 million barrels of oil per day passed through the strait during the first half of 2025, equivalent to roughly one-fifth of global petroleum liquids consumption. More than 20% of global liquefied natural gas trade also passed through the waterway during that period.
The simultaneous escalation in Yemen and continued restrictions around Hormuz have heightened concerns over regional security, shipping and energy supplies. Yemen sits near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, another critical maritime passage connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, meaning renewed
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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