Yemen's Government Declares Total War on Houthis as Fighting Escalates Across the Country

Yemen's internationally recognised government has declared it will launch an all-out military campaign aimed at recapturing every remaining territory held by the Houthi movement, marking a dramatic escalation in a conflict that has already devastated the country for more than a decade.

President Rashad al-Alimi made the announcement in a televised address on Sunday, stating that the time had come to restore state authority across the entire nation. "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," he said, speaking from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, where his government has been based since being expelled from the capital.

The declaration followed a sharp exchange of strikes between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition in the days leading up to the announcement. The Iran-backed Houthi movement said it had targeted facilities belonging to Saudi state oil giant Aramco, describing the attacks as retaliation for what it characterised as 50 coalition strikes carried out within a 12-hour window. Saudi authorities have not yet responded to the claims.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Sunday that the group had launched both a ballistic missile and a drone attack on Aramco sites in Riyadh and in the oil-rich Khurais region in eastern Saudi Arabia. He claimed both operations had achieved their objectives and that the strikes were precise, causing large fires at the targeted locations.

It is not the first time the Houthis have claimed to have hit Saudi oil infrastructure. Riyadh has previously dismissed some of these assertions as misleading and has mocked the group for what it described as chasing imaginary victories. However, the latest claims underscore the potential economic consequences that a renewed full-scale war could have, not only for Saudi Arabia but for global energy markets given the kingdom's central role in oil production.

The Yemeni government's forceful statement had been widely anticipated following a Houthi offensive last month that resulted in the group seizing control of much of the country's coastline, including the strategically vital Bab al-Mandab Strait. That waterway serves as a critical chokepoint for international shipping between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and its capture by the Houthis represented a significant strategic gain for the movement.

In retaliation, Saudi Arabia has continued to strike Houthi targets, according to the Houthi-run Al-Masirah television channel, which reported that at least two people were wounded in strikes on Sunday. On Saturday, Yemen's government also stated that its forces had hit Houthi positions across multiple locations, including in the capital Sanaa, the northern Saada region, and areas near Taiz in the south-west near the front line.

The capital Sanaa, which has been under Houthi control for more than ten years, has come under sustained bombardment as government forces attempt to degrade the group's military capabilities. Attacks have also spread to Saada, the Houthis' northern heartland, signalling a broadening of the conflict across multiple fronts.

Despite the government's ambitious declaration, security sources indicate that the Houthis have continued to make territorial gains on the ground. The frontline remains concentrated around the key south-western city of Taiz, which is still held by the internationally recognised government. On Sunday, the Houthis reportedly cut a vital supply route connecting Taiz to Aden, the interim capital of the Yemeni government, according to the AFP news agency.

Citing three Yemeni military sources, AFP also reported that the Houthis now control the area surrounding that supply route, effectively encircling Taiz. Farea Al-Muslimi, a research fellow at the Chatham House think tank, told AFP that the Houthis had achieved their military objective of isolating Taiz from Aden, even if they had not yet taken full control of the city itself.

Analysts suggest that President al-Alimi would have been unlikely to make such a fierce announcement without receiving approval from Saudi Arabia, which remains the most important backer of his government. Riyadh has itself been under constant attack as the Houthis seek to target the kingdom's economic lifeblood through strikes on oil infrastructure.

The timing of the announcement also reflects the broader regional dynamics at play. The Houthis have positioned themselves as part of the Iran-aligned axis, and their ability to threaten Saudi oil facilities and Red Sea shipping lanes gives them significant leverage beyond Yemen's borders. A new all-out war could draw in additional regional actors and further destabilise an already volatile area.

Yemen remains one of the poorest countries in the world and continues to be gripped by a vast humanitarian crisis. The conflict erupted in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital city from the internationally recognised government, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention the following year. Since then, the war has killed hundreds of thousands of people, displaced millions, and left large portions of the population dependent on humanitarian aid.

The declaration of all-out war raises the prospect of intensified fighting across multiple fronts, further compounding the suffering of civilians who have already endured years of violence, hunger, and economic collapse. Aid agencies have repeatedly warned that any major escalation would deepen what is already one of the world's worst humanitarian emergencies.

For Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners, the decision to support a renewed offensive carries considerable risk. The Houthis have demonstrated a growing capacity to strike deep inside Saudi territory, and a protracted campaign could impose heavy costs on the kingdom's economy and infrastructure. At the same time, failing to push back against Houthi territorial gains could be seen as a strategic defeat for Riyadh and its allies.

The coming weeks are likely to prove decisive. If the government's declared campaign materialises into a sustained military push, Yemen could be plunged into an even more destructive phase of a war that has already reshaped the region. Whether the Houthis can be dislodged from their strongholds, or whether they will continue to consolidate their control, remains deeply uncertain.