Saudi-Backed Yemen Forces Begin Major Offensive to Reclaim Houthi-Held Land
Yemen’s Saudi-backed government has launched a full-scale military campaign to retake territory held by Houthi forces, marking one of the most significant escalations in the country’s decade-long civil war. Dawn News
Presidential Leadership Council chairman Rashad al-Alimi announced the offensive in a televised address on 4 October 2026. “I announce today the start of military operations to retake the remaining territories of the republic,” he declared, ordering all armed and security forces onto full operational alert.
Within 24 hours of the announcement, government forces carried out 257 precision strikes on Houthi positions, reporting approximately 700 Houthi casualties. The Saudi-led coalition conducted a further 97 operations along the Tor al-Baha front and the Taiz axis. Yemen’s third-largest city, Taiz, remains under government control but has been effectively encircled with Houthis cutting the vital al-Safiya supply route linking the city to Aden.
The Houthis responded with ballistic missiles and drone strikes targeting Saudi Aramco facilities in Riyadh and Khurais. Yemen’s civil war began in 2014 when Houthi forces seized the capital, Sanaa. A 2022 ceasefire collapsed in July 2026, reigniting large-scale hostilities.
Read our previous article on Yemeni and Houthi News here.
