Yemeni Government Forces Push Toward Sanaa as Anti-Houthi Offensive Escalates

Yemen's internationally recognized government has launched a large-scale military campaign aimed at reversing recent Houthi territorial gains, with forces claiming strategic advances along the Red Sea coast and setting their sights on the rebel-held capital, Sanaa. The offensive marks a significant escalation in a conflict that had been relatively dormant for four years before violence reignited earlier this year.

Rashad al-Alimi, who heads Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, announced the start of the operation to recapture all territories lost to the Houthis. On Monday, government-aligned forces reported that they had retaken the coastal town of Dhubab and the port city of Mocha, pushing northward along the Red Sea shoreline. The government had earlier declared what it described as a "strategic offensive" directed at Sanaa, which the Houthis have controlled since September 2014.

The Houthis, an Iranian-allied movement, seized the capital more than a decade ago and subsequently expanded their territorial control across northern and western Yemen. Their recent military campaign, launched in early September, produced sweeping gains along the Red Sea coast, including the capture of Mocha and positions near the Bab al-Mandeb strait — a chokepoint of global strategic importance for maritime trade. Government forces are now attempting to roll back those advances.

Fighting had flared again in July after four years of relative calm, with the government claiming its forces had attacked Sanaa airport. That resurgence set the stage for the Houthi offensive in September, which prompted the current government counteroperation. Government troops are also seeking to reverse Houthi gains around Taiz, a key city in southwestern Yemen that has become a focal point of the renewed fighting.

Despite the government's ambitious objectives, analysts caution that defeating the Houthis militarily remains a formidable challenge. Raiman al-Hamdani, a London-based Yemen analyst, told Al Jazeera that while the internationally recognized government's ground forces are substantial on paper, they are spread thin across multiple fronts and rely on outdated pre-war equipment. This limits their capacity to do more than hold existing positions, he said, and prevents them from dislodging the Houthis from their mountain strongholds.

Al-Hamdani suggested the latest fighting signals a dangerous new phase in the conflict. Although elements of the leadership on both sides may harbor an appetite for full-scale war, he said the reality on the ground is more complex. In the longer term, he argued, the more plausible outcome is not the military destruction of one side by the other but rather a negotiated and imperfect political settlement. Such an arrangement would likely see the Houthis retain substantial influence in northern Yemen, Saudi Arabia secure greater security guarantees, and Yemen's competing political and military factions forced into some form of power-sharing. Al-Hamdani warned, however, that reaching that point may require another period of serious escalation first.

Ahmed al-Shalafi, Al Jazeera's Yemen correspondent and a specialist in Yemeni affairs, reported that the government's recent moves demonstrate "complete operational and political integration." He said the offensive lends a serious and decisive dimension to the announced battle to liberate Sanaa and restore the state. According to al-Shalafi, the government aims to start the confrontation on its own terms rather than allowing the Houthis to dictate the stages of the war.

Nicholas Brumfield, an independent Yemen analyst, told Al Jazeera that the balance of power has not yet shifted in favor of either side. He predicted that the Houthis will continue pressing in Taiz and Marib, noting that while government forces have performed better on the defensive in Taiz, the Houthis have demonstrated an ability to push in all directions simultaneously — a capability government forces lack.

Saeed Thabet, head of Al Jazeera's Yemen bureau, said the government's advances, coming soon after al-Alimi's announcement of the new large-scale offensive, were intended to demonstrate that the government is serious about reversing Houthi gains. He noted that in the past, many Yemenis did not take such statements seriously. Thabet added that government forces will now attempt to control Taiz's Red Sea coast and contain Houthi infiltration into villages and areas of Taiz governorate, particularly in the al-Shamayatayn and al-Waziya districts, where sources reported that government security forces are sweeping the areas and capturing armed Houthi fighters.

The conflict's regional dimensions add further complexity. The government is backed by Saudi Arabia, while the Houthis maintain their alliance with Iran. Even if the United States and Iran were to reach a deal to end their ongoing conflict — which began in late February — analysts suggest it might not seriously impact the fighting in Yemen. The war has also been complicated by divisions within the anti-Houthi camp itself, which could hinder coordination and undermine the current offensive's effectiveness.

The humanitarian toll of the renewed hostilities continues to mount. Hospitals across Yemen are struggling to operate amid persistent power outages, compounding the suffering of civilians caught in the crossfire. The country's infrastructure, already ravaged by years of war, faces further strain as fighting intensifies across multiple frontlines.

The government's offensive represents its most significant attempt in years to alter the trajectory of a conflict that has largely been stalemated. Whether it can translate recent coastal gains into a sustained campaign toward Sanaa — and whether such a campaign could ultimately succeed against an entrenched and well-armed adversary — remains deeply uncertain. For now, the fighting appears set to continue, with both sides demonstrating a willingness to pursue military objectives even as the prospect of a negotiated settlement remains distant.