Photo: Saudi Gazette/Twitter
Yemen has launched a military campaign to retake territory controlled by the Houthi movement, Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council Rashad al-Alimi announced on October 4. He said all opportunities for de-escalation had been exhausted and that the country was moving “from preparation to action.”
Al-Alimi ordered the armed forces, security services and military formations to begin operations under previously approved plans aimed at restoring state institutions and ending Houthi control over remaining areas outside government authority.
He said the government had exhausted its efforts to achieve peace, accusing the Houthis of responding with further mobilization and escalation, including attacks and threats against civilians, infrastructure, neighboring countries and international waterways.
The campaign, al-Alimi stressed, is not directed against civilians in Sanaa, Saada, Hodeidah, Amran, Dhamar or Ibb, nor against any religious group or tribe. He urged civilians in Houthi-controlled areas to stay away from military positions, gatherings of fighters and supply routes.
Families were also urged not to allow children to join the fighting. Al-Alimi said fighters who lay down their weapons would be allowed to return safely under an amnesty announced previously.
“The mission is not only to retake the land, but to restore the state to it,” al-Alimi said. He instructed government forces and allied resistance groups to comply with the law and protect civilians and their property.
“There will be no revenge, no retaliation, no attacks on innocent people and no infringement on citizens’ property,” he added.
Alongside the military campaign, the government is expected to prepare plans for restoring state institutions and basic services in areas retaken from the Houthis. Priorities include resuming salaries for public-sector workers, repairing roads, electricity and water networks, rebuilding damaged facilities and creating conditions for displaced people to return.
Al-Alimi said the success of the campaign would not be measured only by the amount of territory recaptured, but also by whether security is restored and families can return home.
The announcement follows a sharp escalation in Yemen. Reuters reported that the Saudi-backed government had been preparing a major offensive against the Houthis, with Saudi air support and U.S. intelligence assistance expected to support Yemeni forces.
Fighting intensified in September after the Houthis expanded their control in the Red Sea area. The latest escalation has displaced tens of thousands of people and further worsened Yemen’s humanitarian crisis.
