Yemeni forces launch offensive to retake Houthi-held al-Waziiya in Taiz

Forces aligned with Yemen's internationally recognised administration have rolled out an operation to capture a strategic mountainous district from the Houthis as part of a wider push to retake the Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Key points

• Major-General Turki al-Maliki, the spokesperson for the coalition, remarked the Houthi missile threats originated from Houthi-held Sanaa and the governorates of Saada and Amran.
• "These are the mountains that the Houthis took control of prior to the takeover of the city of Mocha, " Al Jazeera's Yousef Mawry remarked, reporting from Sanaa.
• The offensive on the district of al-Waziiya in Taiz governorate on Tuesday came as Saudi Arabia.
• The mountainous district is located west of Taiz, east of the Red Sea port of Mocha.
• The Houthis, nevertheless, denied the claim, saying they had successfully repelled the Yemeni administration advance in al-Waziiya.

For context, the offensive on the district of al-Waziiya in Taiz governorate on Tuesday came as Saudi Arabia. It backs Yemen's administration, intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile targeting the city of Khamis Mushait.

Notably, the operation is part of the "Dawn of Yemen" offensive that was confirmed on Sunday by Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, to retake all remaining Houthi-held territory, including the capital, Sanaa. It the Iran-backed group has controlled since 2014.

Notably, the media centre of Yemen's army remarked in a post on X that the Homeland Shield Forces, a pro-government military faction, have begun "a large-scale operation" to retake al-Waziiya.

"The armed forces have secured strategic hills overlooking the al-Mansoura area, amidst a mass retreat by the Houthi militia, " it remarked, citing a military source.

Meanwhile, the Houthis, nevertheless, denied the claim, saying they had successfully repelled the Yemeni administration advance in al-Waziiya.

Notably, the mountainous district is located west of Taiz, east of the Red Sea port of Mocha. The Houthis had seized Mocha and areas around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait – a strategic maritime corridor – in a lightning offensive last month.

"If the Yemeni government is serious about taking over the city of Mocha, they cannot do so unless they take over the region in the district of al-Waziiya, " he continued.

Meanwhile, the fighting came as the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen remarked it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile rolled out by the Houthis towards the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait.

"The coalition continues to neutralise the threat posed by ballistic and surface-to-surface missiles and to destroy their launch sources, " he continued.

Earlier on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation remarked in an official note that King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz airport in Jazan and Najran airport, near the Yemen border, were hit in attacks that wounded three residents.

Meanwhile, the attacks caused injuries of "varying severity" and material damage, and the injured have been taken to hospital, the authority remarked.

In practice, the Houthis remarked late on Monday that their forces targeted sites throughout southern Saudi Arabia, including airports and military sites.

In practice, the Saudi-led coalition, meanwhile, has confirmed its participation in the Yemeni administration offensive to retake all Houthi-held territory, saying 100 of its fighter jets are providing air backing.

Pakistan and Turkiye have additionally agreed to activate "deterrence measures" under their mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia and rapidly deploy forces to the Gulf kingdom to counter attacks by the Houthis.

Taken together, the developments around yemeni forces launch offensive to retake Houthi-held al point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.