Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili, spokesman for the Yemeni government forces, said the army had destroyed Houthi ammunition dumps and at least 180 combat, transport and supply vehicles during the operation, named 'Dawn of Yemen'. He added that ground forces 'continued to advance their assault'. Al Jazeera could not independently verify the figures.
The offensive comes against a backdrop of escalating regional violence. An attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday killed and injured several people and led to flight cancellations. The Houthis have not yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but the group has warned aviation companies to avoid Saudi airspace, designating any aircraft operating there — except over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina — as a target.
Speaking from Yemen, Al Jazeera's Yousef Mawry reported that the Houthis are preparing to fight on multiple fronts, including against potential international involvement. The group has warned that if Pakistan engages in military activities against them on behalf of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan will be treated the same way as Saudi Arabia currently is, with plans to launch ballistic missiles towards Pakistan and attack Pakistan-flagged vessels in the Red and Arabian seas.
'The fighting is spreading on multiple fronts, but it is a situation that will keep escalating,' said Baraa Shiban, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and Yemen expert, adding that the violence will not be 'dying down' anytime soon. 'There is no mediation happening this time — there are no regional or local mediators that are able to cool down the situation,' he said.
The Saudi-backed Yemeni forces are advancing to recapture areas around the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a critical global trade route linking the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. Battles are raging around the strategic southern cities of Mocha and Dhubab on the Red Sea coast. The Houthis, who have controlled Sanaa and parts of northwestern Yemen since 2014, seized the strait area in September, although both sides claim control of the shipping lanes.
When asked whether the United States would join strikes against the Houthis following the Riyadh attack, President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that 'I will make a decision soon'.