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Forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognized government have launched counterattacks against the Houthi rebels, with officials saying they aim to recapture the capital, Sanaa, from the Iran-backed group, Al Jazeera reported.
Fighting intensified on Monday in the provinces of Taiz, al-Bayda and al-Jawf, which is seen as the main gateway to the capital. Government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, claimed to have carried out rocket and drone strikes against Houthi positions and reported “intensive battles” involving ground troops.
The Houthis said they repelled an offensive in al-Jawf and that at least seven people were killed in an air strike on a prison in the town of al-Hazm. They blamed Riyadh for the attack, saying the “aggression will not go unpunished”.
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, accused the Houthis of wounding at least 73 civilians, including women and children, in recent attacks on the kingdom’s southern provinces.
Riyadh also promised a response to the “dangerous escalation”.
Amid the intensifying tensions, Yemen’s deputy defense minister, Major-General Samir Al-Sabri, said in remarks broadcast on state television that the government has decided to “retake Sanaa”.
Majid al-Nuzaili, a spokesman for Yemen’s government-aligned forces, said the objective of the campaign was to “liberate Yemen from the grip” of the Houthis “and restore Sanaa as a capital for all Yemenis”.
He also warned civilians to avoid several major roads leading into Sanaa, saying the alert applies to routes connecting the capital with Marib and al-Jawf, including roads through Nihm, Sirwah, Mahliyah and al-Hazm.