The president of Yemen announced the beginning of a major operation against the Houthis supported by Iran

The president of Yemen announced the beginning of a major operation against the Houthis supported by Iran

🔸 Rashad Al Alimi, the head of Yemen's Presidential Council, announced on Sunday, October 12, the beginning of a large-scale military operation against the Houthi rebels supported by Iran, with the aim of recapturing the areas controlled by this group.

Alimi said in a televised speech: "Today I announce the beginning of a military operation to reconquer the rest of the republic and expand the sovereignty of the government and its institutions over the entire national territory."

Regional and Western officials previously told Reuters that Saudi Arabia and its Yemeni allies are planning a ground attack on the Houthis; In such a way that the Saudi forces lead the air operation and the Yemeni forces fight on the ground.

In 2015, the Riyadh government, at the head of an Arab coalition, entered the civil war in Yemen and supported the internationally recognized government; The government that the Houthis drove out of Sanaa, the capital. 🔸 The ceasefire between the parties involved in the agreement in 2022 remained largely intact until the Houthis launched missile and drone attacks this year against Saudi shipping and oil infrastructure, following the war between America and Israel's captives with Iran.

The Reuters news agency says that despite preparations to carry out an attack against the ground, the Houthis have so far retained the initiative on the ground. A few weeks after the group advanced south along the coast in Operation Lightning and forced government forces to collapse, the Houthis took control of the strategic Babalmandab Strait.

Bebelmandav is the southern outlet of the Red Sea and one of the most important shipping routes between the Mediterranean and Asia. The importance of this route increased this year, because following the conflict with Iran, the passage of ships in the Strait of Hormuz was disrupted and Belmandav became its alternative route.

Read the full version of this report on Radio Perda's website.