Yemen's government announces all-out war to reclaim land from Houthis

BySebastian Usher, Global affairs correspondent and Tinshui Yeung.

Key points

• On Saturday, Yemen's administration additionally noted its forces had hit Houthi targets nationwide, including in Sanaa, Saada and the group's positions near Taiz in the south-west.
• On Sunday, the Houthis cut a vital supply route linking Taiz with Aden, the interim capital of the Yemeni administration, AFP news agency reports.
• In retaliation, Saudi Arabia has additionally been striking Houthi targets, according to the Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV channel.
• When the Houthis seized the capital city from the Saudi-backed administration, before going on to take control of swathes of the country's north, a war erupted in 2014.
• Attacks on the Houthis have additionally spread throughout Yemen, including to the Saada region, the group's northern heartland.

Meanwhile, the head of Yemen's internationally recognised administration has confirmed it will wage an all out war in a bid to take all territory held by the Houthis.

It follows an exchange of strikes between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition in recent days.

Meanwhile, the Iran-backed group remarked it had struck sites belonging to Saudi national oil business Aramco, in response to what it described as 50 Saudi-led coalition strikes in 12 hours. Saudi Arabia has yet to comment.

Notably, the Yemeni government's fierce statement was projected after the Houthis' offensive last month. It saw them seize control of the country's coastline, including the vital shipping lane of the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

On Sunday, Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi remarked in a televised address: "Today, I announce the start of military operations to retake the remaining territory of the republic and extend the authority of the state and its institutions across the entire national territory."

Yemen's capital, Sanaa, which has been held by the Houthis for more than a decade, has come under sustained attack as administration forces try to weaken the group's military capabilities.

But security sources say the Iran-backed Houthis have continued to create gains.

Notably, the frontline in Yemen remains focused around the key city of Taiz. It is still controlled by the internationally recognised administration.

Citing three Yemeni military sources, AFP additionally reports that the Houthis now control the area and supply route, effectively encircling Taiz.

"They've achieved the military objective of isolating Taiz from Aden, even if they haven't fully taken control of it, " Farea Al-Muslimi, a research fellow at the Chatham House think tank, informed AFP.

Al-Alimi was unlikely to have created the fierce announcement without the green light from Saudi Arabia. It remains the key backer of his administration.

Saudi Arabia has been under constant attack as the Houthis try to target the country's economic lifeblood – oil.

On Sunday, Yemen's Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree remarked the group had rolled out a ballistic missile and drone attack on Aramco sites in the capital, Riyadh, and the oil-rich Khurais area in the kingdom's east.

"Both operations successfully achieved their objectives, " the spokesman remarked in an official note. "The strikes were precise, causing large fires at the targeted sites."

It is not the first time the group has remarked it has hit Saudi oil sites. Saudi Arabia has yet to comment on Sunday's asserted attack, but has previously dismissed some claims as misleading, mocking the Houthis for "chasing imaginary victories".

As a consequence, the global economy – could pay if it rolled out a new all-out war against the Houthis, but it has once again shown the cost Saudi Arabia – and.

In retaliation, Saudi Arabia has additionally been striking Houthi targets, according to the Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV channel. It remarked at least two residents had been wounded in strikes on Sunday.

Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world and remains gripped by a vast humanitarian crisis.

Riyadh intervened in the war the after year, leading an international coalition.

After a number of years of relative calm, the war reignited in July against the backdrop of the widening conflict in the Middle East.

Last month, a lightning offensive enabled the Houthis to seize the country's entire Red Sea coast, stopping Saudi Arabia from using it as an alternative oil export route to the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, the strategy benefited the Houthis' main sponsor, Iran. But it has additionally forced Saudi Arabia back into direct military confrontation with the Houthis.

In short, yemen' s government announces all-out war to reclaim land from Houthis is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.