The head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, announced on Sunday the start of a new military operation to recapture all territory held by Iran-backed Houthi fighters, emphasizing that the military operation is not a war against Sana’a or Sa’dah.
In a speech, he said, “We will bear our national responsibility in confronting the terrorist Houthi militia after exhausting all opportunities for de-escalation, and we call on our people in the Houthi-controlled areas to cooperate with the Yemeni armed forces.”
He added, “Every city we recapture will enter a phase of recovery and reconstruction, and we guarantee a safe return and amnesty for all who lay down their arms.”
He called on Yemen’s friends and the international community to stand by its side, adding, “We will protect the waterways on behalf of the entire world.”
Meanwhile, the Houthis on Sunday cut a vital supply route linking Taiz with Aden — the interim capital of the internationally recognized government — according to four security sources.
“We were informed that the Houthis had taken control of the al-Safiya area, where they cut the main road and took control of the police station,” a police source in the area said.
Three sources with the Yemeni military confirmed Houthi control over the area and supply route, with the group effectively encircling Taiz city.
The military sources added that the Houthis had also halted traffic on the main road linking Taiz to Aden, with fighting in the area ongoing.
The Houthi surge follows days of heavy fighting in and around Taiz between the group and government forces.
The city itself remains under the control of government forces but has long been besieged from the north, east and west by Houthi fighters and remains one of the main fronts in Yemen’s civil war.
Houthis also claimed an attack against an Aramco site in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Saturday, the group’s media said.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said they targeted the site with ballistic missiles and drones. Earlier in the day, smoke and flames were reportedly rising from a facility belonging to the oil giant south of Riyadh. (AFP+EIR)
