A Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has launched a broad air campaign, named Operation Dawn of Yemen, against Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The coalition's spokesperson, Maj Gen Turki al-Maliki, stated that 100 fighter jets are participating in the operation, providing support to forces of Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
The coalition claims to have secured "air protection" of the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait and destroyed hundreds of Houthi targets. Maj Gen al-Maliki also claimed that hundreds of Houthi fighters have been besieged in the Dhubab district, near the strait, with some reportedly fleeing across the Red Sea.
Concurrently, Southern Yemen forces known as the Giants Brigades, allied with the government, initiated a ground offensive on Monday against the rebels in coastal areas. These forces claim to have cut the road between Mocha and Dhubab, and that Houthi forces are deserting the recently captured city of Mocha.
Airstrikes were also reported in Sana’a and the Houthi stronghold of Saada, targeting command and control centres, camps, and weapons depots. Houthi sources, however, denied reports of a retreat and referenced explosions at a Saudi Aramco plant in Riyadh.
The operation follows a promise by Rashad al-Alimi, president of the Saudi-backed government, for a new offensive. The cooperation between the Saudi air force and the Giants Brigades marks a significant shift, as the Saudi air force had previously bombed UAE shipments of arms to STC-backed forces in January, leading to the UAE's withdrawal from Yemen.