Yemen's interim government declares large-scale military operation against Houthis
In short
Yemen’s internationally recognised interim government announced on October 4 that it had begun a large-scale military operation against the Iran-backed Houthis, with Saudi backing. Chairman al-Alimi said in a televised speech that the operation aims to retake territory and extend state authority over the whole country, and media cited by the outlets said it targets Houthi-held areas including the Bab al-Mandab strait and the capital, Sanaa. The Houthis have seized western Yemen’s Red Sea coast since early September and fired missiles at Saudi oil facilities; Brent crude rose above $103 a barrel in early Asian trading on October 5.
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Yemen’s internationally recognised interim government announced on October 4 that it had begun a large-scale military operation against the Iran-backed Houthi movement, according to Jiji Press, Asahi Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun, Nippon TV, Nikkei, TBS NEWS DIG and a Reuters report carried by Yahoo! News Japan. Presidential Leadership Council chairman al-Alimi said in a televised speech that he was declaring the start of a military operation to retake territory and extend state authority over the whole country. Nippon TV reported he said “all opportunities for de-escalation have been exhausted” and that he ordered the military to begin the operation. Asahi reported he also said, referring to Bab al-Mandab, that Yemen would fulfil its responsibility to protect the international waterway for the whole world. Bloomberg, cited by TBS NEWS DIG, said the government aims to fully recapture areas held by the Houthis. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 ]
The Houthis have been on the offensive since early September, seizing western Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab strait between the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, according to Jiji, Asahi, Mainichi and Nippon TV. Mainichi, citing Reuters, reported that Saudi Arabia is leading airstrikes while Yemeni interim government forces carry out ground operations, and that the campaign targets cities around Bab al-Mandab as well as the capital, Sanaa. Nippon TV noted that a 2022 ceasefire had largely held until the recent escalation, and Mainichi said Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen’s civil war in 2015 and that clashes have widened since July this year. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
Nippon TV reported that the Houthis fired missiles at Saudi oil facilities on October 4, saying the attack was retaliation for 50 strikes by Saudi-led forces on Yemen in the preceding 12 hours. Jiji and Asahi reported that the Houthis have kept up missile and drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities, and Yahoo! News Japan referred in a linked headline to an attack that set an oil facility in the Saudi capital on fire. Asahi reported that the two chokepoints at either end of the Arabian Peninsula are destabilised, raising concern over crude supply. [ 1 , 3 , 5 , 8 ]
The fighting has moved markets. Bloomberg, cited by TBS NEWS DIG, reported that Brent crude December futures rose above $103 a barrel in early Asian trading on October 5. Mainichi reported that Bab al-Mandab has become an alternative route for Saudi crude after the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and that concern is growing over disruption to the world economy. [ 4 , 6 ]
Mainichi, citing the US news site Axios, reported that Saudi Arabia repeatedly asked the United States to join the fighting, while Washington would limit itself to providing intelligence and help selecting targets, apparently to avoid being drawn into a new front. Nikkei reported that the US government is considering measures in response to Saudi Arabia’s request for support. No other document sets out what form US involvement would take. [ 4 , 7 ]
One element remains single-sourced: Mainichi reported that Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard was reported to have directed the Houthi advance, possibly to pressure the United States, and no other document mentions it. No document reports casualties or the results of the operation so far. [ 4 ]
Why it matters
The campaign centres on the Bab al-Mandab strait, which Mainichi, citing Reuters, reported has become an alternative route for Saudi crude after the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and Asahi reported that the two chokepoints at either end of the Arabian Peninsula are destabilised, raising concern over crude supply. Bloomberg, cited by TBS NEWS DIG, reported Brent crude rose above $103 a barrel, indicating the fighting is already affecting energy markets. Saudi Arabia’s role in leading airstrikes and reports that Washington has been asked to join the fighting point to a risk of wider regional involvement.
Key facts
- Yemen’s internationally recognised interim government announced on October 4 that it had begun a large-scale military operation against the Houthis. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 ]
- Chairman al-Alimi said in a televised speech that the operation aims to retake territory and extend state authority over the whole country. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 8 ]
- Al-Alimi also said, referring to Bab al-Mandab, that Yemen would fulfil its responsibility to protect the international waterway for the whole world. [ 3 ]
- The Houthis have seized western Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab strait since early September, according to the outlets. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Nippon TV reported the Houthis fired missiles at Saudi oil facilities on October 4, describing it as retaliation for 50 attacks by Saudi-led forces on Yemen in the previous 12 hours. [ 5 ]
- Mainichi, citing Reuters, reported Saudi Arabia is leading airstrikes while Yemeni interim government forces carry out ground operations, aiming to retake cities around Bab al-Mandab and the capital, Sanaa. [ 4 ]
- Bloomberg, cited by TBS NEWS DIG, reported Brent crude December futures rose above $103 a barrel in early Asian trading on October 5. [ 6 ]
- Mainichi, citing Axios, reported Saudi Arabia repeatedly asked the United States to join the fighting, while Nikkei reported the US government is considering measures in response to a Saudi request for support. [ 4 , 7 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Yemen’s interim government announced on October 4 that it had begun a large-scale military operation against the Houthis. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 ]
- Chairman al-Alimi said in a televised speech that the operation aims to retake territory and extend state authority over the whole country. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 8 ]
- The Houthis seized western Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab strait from early September. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The Houthis have attacked Saudi oil facilities with missiles and drones. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 ]
- Saudi Arabia backs Yemen’s interim government in the conflict. [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 ]
- Bab al-Mandab is the strait linking the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. [ 3 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- Casualties, the size of the forces involved and the results of the operation so far. No document gives any figure or outcome; all reports describe the declaration and the weeks leading up to it.
- Whether the United States will join the fighting. Mainichi, citing the US news site Axios, said Washington would limit itself to intelligence and targeting support, while Nikkei reported the US government is considering response measures to a Saudi support request; neither detail is corroborated by other documents.
- Whether Iran’s Revolutionary Guard directed the Houthi advance. Reported only by Mainichi, which presents it as something that has been reported elsewhere, without confirmation.
- Whether the October 4 Houthi attack hit oil facilities in the Saudi capital specifically. Jiji Press and Yahoo! News Japan refer to an attack on oil facilities in the Saudi capital, while other documents say only Saudi oil facilities without giving a location.
- Where the operation was declared and where the current front lines run. The documents name Sanaa and Bab al-Mandab as targets, but no document states the location of the announcement or the present front line.
- Details of the 50 Saudi-led strikes over the previous 12 hours and the state of the 2022 ceasefire. Both are reported only by Nippon TV.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Jiji Press reports al-Alimi’s televised declaration of a large-scale military operation against the Houthis. [ 1 ]
- Bloomberg, via TBS NEWS DIG, reports the internationally recognised Yemeni government has launched an operation to fully recapture Houthi-held areas. [ 2 ]
- Asahi Shimbun reports the declaration and the Houthi seizure of western Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab strait. [ 3 ]
- Mainichi Shimbun reports the operation, Saudi-led airstrikes with Yemeni ground forces, and limits on US support. [ 4 ]
- Nippon TV reports the announcement and the Houthi missile attack on Saudi oil facilities, described as retaliation for 50 attacks in the previous 12 hours. [ 5 ]
- Bloomberg, via TBS NEWS DIG, reports Brent crude December futures above $103 a barrel in early Asian trading. [ 6 ]
- Nikkei reports the US government is considering measures after receiving Saudi Arabia’s request for support. [ 7 ]
- Yahoo! News Japan carries a Reuters report from Aden on the declaration and the goal of taking full control of the country. [ 8 ]