Yemen's Government Launches Offensive to Roll Back Houthi Gains, Backed by Saudi Air Power

Yemen's internationally recognized government has launched a major military operation aimed at reversing recent territorial losses to the Houthi movement and, ultimately, reclaiming large swaths of the country that the Iran-aligned group has controlled for more than a decade. The announcement of "Operation Dawn of Yemen" on Monday was followed almost immediately by a ground offensive along the southern Red Sea coast, signaling that the Saudi-backed government intends to shift from a defensive posture to a concerted campaign to restore state authority.

The immediate objective of the operation is to undo gains made by the Houthis in September, when the group seized control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, one of the world's most strategically important maritime chokepoints. The broader and far more ambitious goal is to retake all areas held by the Houthis since they seized the capital, Sanaa, by force in 2014 and subsequently installed their own governing authority. While that vision remains distant, the new offensive represents the government's most organized military effort in years.

So far, the results have been limited. Government forces, aided by heavy Saudi aerial support, have achieved only a modest advance into areas near Bab al-Mandeb. Nevertheless, the operation marks a notable change from September, when government forces collapsed and lost the Red Sea coast to the Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah. That defeat exposed serious weaknesses, including a lack of cohesion among anti-Houthi factions, inadequate military preparation, and what analysts have described as Houthi infiltration of government communications networks.

Whether those problems have now been resolved remains unclear. However, the Houthis' failure to secure the highlands overlooking the territory they captured along the southern Red Sea has left their positions exposed to counterattack. That vulnerability has given government forces an opening they did not have just weeks ago, and the current offensive appears designed to exploit it before the Houthis can consolidate their hold on the coast.

The most significant factor behind the government's renewed push has been the direct involvement of Saudi Arabia. On Monday, the Saudi-led coalition supporting the Yemeni government acknowledged that 100 fighter jets had taken part in the offensive — its first public confirmation in four years, since a 2022 truce, that it had resumed airstrikes against the Houthis. The acknowledgment followed reports of Saudi strikes in September, but the scale and openness of the current air campaign represent a clear escalation.

Those airstrikes have supported government ground forces on multiple fronts beyond the Red Sea coast, including Taiz, Marib, and al-Jawf. Maged al-Madhaji, chairman of the Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies, told Al Jazeera that the "rate and accuracy" of the strikes were higher than in previous campaigns, even when compared with the early phase of the Saudi-led coalition's anti-Houthi bombing campaign in 2015. That assessment suggests a marked improvement in the coalition's targeting and operational effectiveness.

The air campaign has been bolstered by intelligence support from the United States. A US official told Al Jazeera on Monday that 200 American advisers are stationed in Saudi Arabia to assist the operation. Combined with Saudi air power, this intelligence backing has made strikes more efficient and better synchronized with ground maneuvers — a level of coordination that analysts say has been largely absent in earlier phases of the war.

Elias Hanna, a retired Lebanese general, said the coordination between air and ground forces revealed a unified command structure, which he described as vital to military success. "There is a central leadership managing operations and coordination between the ground forces and the air forces," Hanna told Al Jazeera. He noted that air power alone cannot hold territory: "The air force attacks, but ground forces then have to occupy the territory, remain there, and control it." The US expertise, he added, effectively provided an "intelligence bank" of targets, enabling repeated and precise strikes on Houthi positions.

Another factor distinguishing the current offensive from the fighting in early September is the prominent role played by the Giants Brigades. Previously trained by the United Arab Emirates and now backed by Saudi Arabia, the force was present during the September losses on the Red Sea coast but in much smaller numbers. This time, it is leading the battle in the coastal area and in Taiz's al-Waziyah district, which overlooks the port city of Mocha — a key logistical and commercial hub.

The Giants Brigades have a track record of success against the Houthis. In 2022, they defeated the group in Shabwah, driving them out of the southeastern coastal governorate, as well as parts of Marib and al-Bayda, east of Sanaa. According to al-Madhaji, the force is "the most experienced with the Houthis' fighting methods" because it has engaged them across the widest range of theaters, from flat desert terrain to mountainous areas. That experience could prove decisive in the current campaign, where control of high ground and coastal routes is essential.

Al-Madhaji also highlighted the significance of Saudi and Emirati-backed forces now operating under a more unified command. "In practice, this is the first time we have seen Saudi operational management, together with forces that had been under Emirati management, produce effective results," he said. "That suggests the operations room has become unified and that operational coordination between the different sides has become more effective." That unity, if sustained, could address one of the central weaknesses that contributed to past setbacks.

The offensive nonetheless faces substantial obstacles. The Houthis have spent years entrenching their rule in Sanaa and other northern strongholds, building parallel institutions and a formidable military capacity. Retaking those areas would require a prolonged and costly campaign, far beyond the limited advances achieved so far. The government's stated goal of restoring state authority across the entire country remains aspirational, and analysts caution that early momentum does not guarantee long-term success.

For now, the operation represents the most serious attempt by the Yemeni government and its allies to change the trajectory of a conflict that has devastated the country for years. The combination of renewed Saudi air power, US intelligence support, and the battlefield experience of the Giants Brigades has given the government its best chance in recent memory to reverse Houthi gains. Whether that chance translates into lasting territorial and strategic progress — or proves another false dawn in a long and punishing war — will depend on whether the coordination and momentum seen this week can be maintained.