Yemeni forces launch counter-offensive against Houthis, vow to retake Sanaa

Yemen fighting escalates as gov’t forces launch air strikes on Houthi targets

Forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognised government have launched counterattacks against the Houthi rebels, with officials saying they aim to recapture the capital, Sanaa, from the Iran-backed group.

Fighting intensified on Monday in the provinces of Taiz, al-Bayda and al-Jawf, which is seen as the main gateway to the capital.

Government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, claimed to have carried out rocket and drone strikes against Houthi positions and reported “intensive battles” involving ground troops.

The Houthis said they repelled an offensive in al-Jawf and that at least seven people were killed in an air strike on a prison in the town of al-Hazm. They blamed Riyadh for the attack, saying the “aggression will not go unpunished”.

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, accused the Houthis of wounding at least 73 civilians, including women and children, in recent attacks on the kingdom’s southern provinces.

Riyadh also promised a response to the “dangerous escalation”.

Amid the escalating tensions, Yemen’s deputy defence minister, Major-General Samir Al-Sabri, said in remarks broadcast on state television that the government has decided to “retake Sanaa”.