Yemen's civil war, largely dormant since a 2022 UN-brokered truce, has reignited into what the internationally recognised government calls a total liberation campaign. Presidential Leadership Council chairman Rashad al-Alimi ordered all armed forces to begin operations under an approved plan to retake Houthi-controlled territory, including the capital Sanaa, held by the group since 2014. The proximate trigger is a Houthi offensive that captured roughly 150km of Red Sea coastline and territory around Bab al-Mandeb, the narrow strait connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden — one of the world's most critical shipping chokepoints. The Houthis have also cut a vital supply route linking the besieged city of Taiz with Aden, the government's interim capital, tightening a strategic noose around the country's second-largest city. Government forces claim 1,747 Houthi fighters "neutralised" in 1,122 military operations across Saada, al-Jawf, Taiz, and the western coast, along with 364 military vehicles destroyed or disabled. These figures have not been independently verified. The government also claims to have retaken the Dhubab district on the Red Sea coast, though the Houthis deny this. The military balance is not straightforward. Defence analyst Ibrahim Jalal told Al Jazeera that the Houthis' missile arsenal, drone precision, and overall capabilities have grown substantially with support from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Houthis have embedded themselves in Tehran's "axis of resistance" network, giving the IRGC leverage to shift strategic pressure from the Strait of Hormuz to Bab al-Mandeb — effectively making Yemen a second maritime chokepoint in Iran's regional toolkit. Saudi Arabia has reaffirmed its backing of the government campaign. Coalition spokesman Major-General Turki al-Malki cited Houthi attacks on Riyadh, Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jizan, Najran, Taif, and Yanbu as justification for continued military support, framing it as sovereign self-defence. The Saudi-led coalition reported 97 strikes against Houthi reinforcements around Taiz and the Tor al-Baha front in a single day. Yemen's foreign minister Afrah Al-Zouba made an explicit appeal to the international community, framing the campaign as a global interest — stability at Bab al-Mandeb affects every vessel transiting between Asia, Europe, and Africa. The framing positions the conflict not as an internal civil war but as a threat to the international maritime order. The fundamental dynamics remain unchanged from the last decade of fighting: Saudi-backed government forces with air superiority versus an entrenched, well-armed Houthi force with Iranian support, mountainous terrain advantage, and control of the most populated regions. The 2022 truce collapsed in July, and more than 100,000 people have been displaced since. Whether a declared "total campaign" produces different results than nine years of prior coalition efforts is the central question no one in the region can confidently answer.
