950 Houthi fighters killed, 380 vehicles destroyed in offensive: Yemen govt forces

Sanaa — Yemen’s internationally recognised government said its forces carried out 1,879 operations against the Iran-backed Houthis across multiple fronts as part of its ongoing “Dawn of Yemen” offensive.

Military spokesperson Col. Majeed al-Nuzaili said the operations killed 950 Houthi fighters and destroyed or disabled 380 military vehicles.

The figures could not be independently verified, and the Houthis did not immediately comment.

Al-Nuzaili said the operations targeted Houthi positions, command centres, weapons depots and other military assets, as per Yemen Monitor, a Cairo-based independent news outlet.

The announcement came as government forces pressed an offensive aimed at retaking territory still held by the group, including the capital, Sanaa.

Al-Nuzaili said the operations involved warplanes, drones, artillery, multiple rocket launchers and sniper units. He said targets included defensive positions, fortifications, command-and-control centers, artillery and rocket-launcher sites, observation posts, troop concentrations, weapons depots and supply assets.

Operation Dawn of Yemen, or Fajr al-Yemen, was launched Oct. 5 by Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council.

The government says the campaign aims to retake Houthi-held territory, restore state institutions and end the Houthis’ control of the capital, Sanaa, according to Amman-based Roya News.

The offensive has centred on Yemen’s western coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a major maritime passage between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Government-aligned forces have claimed advances around Bab al-Mandeb, Dhubab and Mokha, though the Houthis have disputed some of those battlefield claims.

The Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014, triggering a war that drew in a Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government. The conflict has left the country divided and deepened a protracted humanitarian crisis.

The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, seized Sanaa in 2014, triggering a war that drew in a Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen’s internationally recognised government.

The conflict has since fractured the country and created one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.

Operation Dawn of Yemen was announced Oct. 5 by Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, who said its goals were to restore state institutions, retake Sanaa and end what the government calls the Houthi coup.

The offensive has focused on Yemen’s western coast and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a critical maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Government forces say they have retaken areas around the strait and Mokha, while fighting has continued around Taiz and other fronts.

Yemen’s armed forces previously reported that besides the Houthi fighters being “neutralised”, more than 180 vehicles were destroyed or disabled.