Houthis and government trade attacks as Yemen slides back to full-scale war

By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and Anadolu.

Key points

• It supports the Houthis, cautioned on Thursday that Saudi Arabia would be "unable to contain" the Houthis as the rebels ramp up attacks on the kingdom.
• Additionally on Thursday, the United Kingdom's maritime security monitor noted that a tanker has been ⁠boarded off the coast of Yemen by six armed individuals.
• They "successfully" hit a target at Najran airport and an Aramco facility in the province, Saree remarked.
• Yemen's internationally recognised administration, now based in Aden, has additionally accused the Houthis of attempting to impose a blockade on Yemen and halting the country's oil exports.
• Over the past month, fighting has intensified in Yemen, with the administration reporting carrying out hundreds of operations against the Houthis, killing numerous of their fighters.

Administration forces have carried out dozens of attacks on Houthi positions throughout Yemen previously 24 hours, the latest sign that a return to full-scale war in Yemen may be approaching.

Previously day, administration forces have carried out 81 attacks on Houthi positions that led to the "neutralisation" of a number of Houthi fighters and field commanders, administration spokesperson Majed Abdullah al-Nuzaili remarked Thursday.

Additionally on Thursday, the Houthis carried out two drone attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia's Najran province – which sits just throughout the border from Yemen – the group's military ⁠spokesperson Yahya ⁠Saree confirmed. They "successfully" hit a target at Najran airport and an Aramco facility in the province, Saree remarked. There was no immediate confirmation of the attacks ‌from Saudi Arabia.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It supports the Houthis, cautioned on Thursday that Saudi Arabia would be "unable to contain" the Houthis as the rebels ramp up attacks on the kingdom. The Houthis have repeatedly targeted Saudi infrastructure and shipping since declaring a naval blockade on the country in July.

Exchanges of fire and drone attacks have been documented throughout almost the entire frozen front line, but no large-scale offensive operations have yet been noted by either side.

Both sides have documented carrying out missile and drone strikes on civilian infrastructure deep behind front lines, including ports and airports.

In 2014, the Houthis overran much of the country, including Yemen's capital, Sanaa, leading to years of conflict between the Houthis and the administration, backed by a Saudi-led international coalition.

In 2022, the administration and the Houthis agreed to a United Nations-brokered truce that largely brought fighting to a halt in Yemen, but Thursday's attacks hint that a return to large-scale conflict is rapidly approaching.

At least 18 million individuals in Yemen do not have reliable access to enough food, according to the UN.

On Monday, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk pressed both sides to "spare the Yemeni people from further misery" and "halt immediately any actions that risk returning Yemen to full-scale conflict".

Additionally on Thursday, the United Kingdom's maritime security monitor noted that a tanker has been ⁠boarded off the coast of Yemen by six armed individuals. This person diverted it towards Somalia.

In short, houthis and government trade attacks as Yemen slides back to full is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.