Yemeni Government Forces Launch Strategic Offensive Against Houthis in Taiz Amid Escalating Conflict

Forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government have initiated a major military operation to capture the strategic mountainous district of al-Waziiya from the Houthis. This offensive forms part of a broader campaign aimed at regaining control of the Red Sea coast and the vital Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

The offensive in the al-Waziiya district of Taiz governorate commenced on Tuesday. Simultaneously, Saudi Arabia, which provides backing to Yemen’s government, intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile directed at the city of Khamis Mushait. The operation is a key component of the 'Dawn of Yemen' offensive announced on Sunday by Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, with the ultimate objective of reclaiming all remaining Houthi-held territories, including the capital Sanaa, which has been under the control of the Iran-backed group since 2014.

The media centre of Yemen’s army reported via a post on X that the Homeland Shield Forces, a pro-government military faction, initiated a large-scale operation to retake al-Waziiya. According to a military source cited by the army, armed forces have successfully secured strategic hills overlooking the al-Mansoura area amid a mass retreat by the Houthi militia. In contrast, the Houthis disputed these assertions, maintaining that they successfully repelled the Yemeni government advance within al-Waziiya.

The disputed mountainous district is situated west of Taiz and east of the Red Sea port of Mocha. The Houthis previously seized Mocha and surrounding areas near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait during a rapid offensive last month. Al Jazeera’s Yousef Mawry, reporting from Sanaa, noted that these are the specific mountains the Houthis captured prior to taking control of the city of Mocha, emphasizing that any serious government attempt to take Mocha requires securing the al-Waziiya region first.

The escalation coincided with reports from the Saudi-led coalition regarding the interception and destruction of a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis toward Khamis Mushait. Major-General Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the coalition, stated that the missile threats originated from Houthi-held Sanaa as well as the governorates of Saada and Amran, affirming the coalition's ongoing efforts to neutralise such threats.

Earlier on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation reported that King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz airport in Jazan and Najran airport near the Yemen border sustained attacks that resulted in material damage and injuries to three people of varying severity, with victims subsequently hospitalized. The Houthis stated late Monday that they targeted various sites across southern Saudi Arabia, encompassing both airports and military locations.

Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition confirmed its support for the Yemeni government offensive, noting that 100 fighter jets are actively providing air support. Additionally, Pakistan and Turkiye have agreed to activate deterrence measures under their mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia, deploying forces rapidly to the Gulf kingdom to counter ongoing Houthi attacks.