Yemen war intensifies – counter-offensive launched

 

Gustaf Thornéus

Publicerad 21.01

 

Rashad al-Alimi, Chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, has announced a counter-offensive against the Houthis. Photo: Alex Brandon/AP

The counter-offensive involves two objectives and tens of thousands of soldiers.

Government forces are now striking back against the Houthi rebels.

"Today, we announce the start of military operations," says the Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council.

Saudi-backed government forces in Yemen have launched a full-scale counter-attack against the Houthi rebels, who are supported by Iran.

This was announced by the Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, in a televised speech.

"Today, we announce the start of military operations to reclaim the remaining territory of the republic and to extend the authority of the state and its institutions," he says.

The counter-offensive has been planned for weeks, and tens of thousands of ground troops are expected to participate, according to Axios.

Aiming for vital strait

Government forces have two primary objectives: to retake the capital, Sanaa—long held by the rebels—and to seize control of the vital Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

In his speech, the leader addressed the people:

"We call upon our people in areas under Houthi control to cooperate with the Yemeni armed forces," said Al-Alimi.

Hundreds of attacks have been carried out against Houthi-controlled areas in recent days. At least 700 rebels have been killed, according to Al Jazeera. And on Friday, army spokesman Majed Abdullah al-Nazili stated that the forces had carried out nearly 500 military operations, injuring or killing over 1,500 Houthi rebels in a single day.

Criticism of the move

According to Hussein al-Bukhaiti, a political commentator sympathetic to the Houthi movement, the counter-offensive is futile.

"Such an announcement would only be meaningful if the Saudis launched a new military coalition and a full-scale invasion by sea or land," he tells Al Jazeera.

In his view, al-Alimi and his associates are "out of touch with reality."

"They have been based in hotels in Riyadh since 2015, when Saudi Arabia launched its coalition war against Yemen."

At the same time as al-Alimi was delivering his speech—and as the war on the front lines intensified—new reports emerged from the civil war in Yemen. The leader's official residence in Taiz province, where the war is raging fiercely, has been seized by rebel forces.

Local media report that the Speaker's residence in the same region has also reportedly been occupied by the Houthi movement.