The head of the Yemeni Presidential Command Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, praised the new field gains achieved by the armed forces and military formations on the Al-Jawf, Al-Bayda, Taiz and Hodeidah fronts, stressing that the government forces succeeded in regaining the initiative after days of widespread Houthi escalation, at a time when the group resorted to targeting civilians and displaced people in the Ma’rib regions in response to its field losses.
Al-Alimi's position came during his contacts with military and field commanders on various fronts, to learn about developments in operations, the level of readiness, and procedures for stabilizing and securing the areas that were recovered, in addition to the necessary needs to continue military operations.
The Chairman of the Presidential Command Council praised what he described as the important gains achieved during the last hours, praising the role of the Air Force and drones in supporting forces on the ground and dealing with Houthi threats, in accordance with the rules of engagement and professional and legal standards.
Al-Alimi said that the Houthi group “chose the path of escalation and rejected all peace initiatives,” holding it responsible for the consequences of what he described as its adventures, and stressing that the armed forces will continue to perform their duty until the state institutions are restored and their authority is extended over the entire Yemeni territory.
From the coast to Al-Jawf
These developments came after days of escalation, which the Houthi group began with massive attacks on the fronts of the West Coast and Taiz, before the scope of the confrontations expanded during the following days to new fronts in Al-Jawf and Al-Bayda.
During the past few days, western Taiz witnessed violent battles in Maqbanah, Jabal Habashi, and Al-Kadha, during which government forces were able to regain important sites, while other forces moved on the western coast axis, especially from Hays towards Al-Jarahi, south of Hodeidah.
As the government forces moved to the offensive, they opened the Al-Jawf and Al-Bayda fronts, where the forces achieved new gains, the most notable of which was the operation carried out by the Giants Brigades in Al-Bayda, during which they were able to liberate strategic sites and force the Houthis to retreat, amid heavy human and material losses among their ranks.
These movements coincided with the continuation of stabilization and security operations in the liberated areas, while the armed forces issued warnings to civilians and vehicle drivers against using a number of roads and axes in Marib, Al-Bayda, and Al-Jawf, for fear of exposing them to the dangers of military operations.
Civilians are in the crosshairs of revenge
In exchange for the field decline in a number of axes, the Houthi group escalated its targeting of civilians, in what appeared, according to local and government sources, to be an attempt to pressure residents and displaced people and take revenge on areas witnessing military operations against them.
The most recent of these attacks was the bombing of a gathering of displaced people in the Raghwan District, north of Ma’rib, on Monday evening, killing two children and wounding 15 people, including eight children.
The impact of the bombing was not limited to human losses, as it destroyed about 16 shelters, deprived 23 displaced families of their homes and basic possessions, in addition to damaging three cars, according to the Executive Unit for the Management of Displaced Persons’ Camps in Ma’rib.
The targeting of displaced people comes at a time when Marib hosts large numbers of people fleeing Houthi-controlled areas and combat zones, which makes any escalation in its vicinity double the humanitarian risks to the civilian population.
The Executive Unit condemned the bombing, usually targeting displaced people and their homes in violation of international humanitarian law, and called on humanitarian organizations and donors to provide emergency housing and assistance to families who lost their shelters.
No imposition of a fait accompli
Al-Alimi stressed that the Houthi escalation will not give the group the right to impose a fait accompli on the Yemenis or disrupt efforts to restore state institutions, indicating that its rejection of international legitimacy resolutions will not change the course of the confrontation.
He said that the group seeks to turn Yemen into a platform to threaten waterways and global trade supply chains, in reference to the broader repercussions of the Yemeni conflict.
The Chairman of the Leadership Council praised the popular rally around the armed forces, and the positions of the political and social forces and the media, calling for unifying the internal front and strengthening confidence in state institutions.
On the other hand, he called on citizens in areas of operations to adhere to the instructions of the armed forces and the competent authorities, stressing that protecting the lives and property of civilians, and facilitating the arrival of aid and relief for the displaced, will remain at the core of the state’s duties.
On Tuesday, the Yemeni government forces expanded the scope of their field advance on a number of fronts, while being able to liberate the Al-Yatma area in the Khub Washaaf District of Al-Jawf Governorate (northeast of Sanaa), the day after the recovery of the Al-Labanat area in the same governorate, coinciding with the launch of a large military operation in Al-Bayda Governorate (southeast of Sanaa) and the continuation of confrontations on the western coast and west of Taiz, on the sixth day since the start of the Houthi escalation.
This progress comes at a time when, over the past few days, government forces have begun to move from containing Houthi ground attacks to regaining the initiative on a number of fronts, taking advantage of the group's decline in some locations, while the army, resistance, and Giants units continue their operations on more than one front.
Government forces announced the liberation of the Al-Yatma area in the Khub Washaaf District, northeast of Al-Jawf, amid continued progress in the area, one day after the liberation of the Al-Labanat area located to its south.
The two areas are gaining field importance, given their location on the Houthi movement and supply lines, as controlling them would narrow the supply and communication routes between the group's sites in parts of Al-Jawf, and open the way for government forces to continue their operations towards the city of Al-Hazm, the center of the governorate.
The Armed Forces spokesman, Colonel Majid Al-Nuzaili, had confirmed that the government forces were advancing according to well-studied military plans on the Al-Jawf and Al-Bayda fronts, indicating that ground movements were being supported by air capabilities and qualitative weapons.
Al-Nuzaili said that the forces targeted Al-Yatma with rocket launchers in preparation for the entry of the forces and tribes into it, before the forces later announced the liberation of the area. He also indicated that the forces were on the outskirts of Dhi Na'im in Al-Bayda Governorate in preparation for their entry.
The spokesman called on the Houthi elements to leave the front lines of advance with their light weapons, in order to preserve their lives, warning against continuing the fighting in the face of government forces.
A new operation in Al-Bayda
In Al-Bayda, the Giants forces had launched a massive military operation against the Houthis, during which, according to field sources, they were able to control advanced strategic sites and areas, after confrontations that forced the group to retreat from them.
The sources reported that at least 23 Houthis were killed and dozens wounded, in addition to losses in equipment and machinery, while the forces continued their operations to stabilize the positions they had controlled and enhance their progress in the fighting axes.
The opening of the Al-Bayda front comes in parallel with the movement in Al-Jawf, which reflects the expansion of the scope of ground operations during the current stage, after the confrontations in the first days remained largely concentrated on the west coast and west of Taiz.
In Taiz, clashes continued between government forces and the Houthis on several fronts, including Al-Karifat east of the city of Taiz, while the Al-Dhalea axis witnessed violent confrontations on the Maris front, with fighting with various types of weapons and the Houthis inflicting losses in the Al-Qahrah sector.
As for western Taiz, battles continued in the sectors of the Al-Barah axis, especially Al-Kadha, where the forces participating in the operations said that they destroyed three Houthi defensive lines, amid continued confrontations in the rest of the axis sectors.
Rocket attacks
On the West Coast, confrontations continued in parallel with the advances in Al-Jawf and Al-Bayda, at a time when the Houthis tried to compensate for field pressures by targeting civilian areas.
On Monday evening, the city of Mokha was bombed by a ballistic missile that targeted the medical complex campus, affecting health facilities and housing designated for doctors and nurses, according to local and health officials, which raised warnings of the repercussions of targeting medical facilities and their workers.
The director of the Mokha Health Office, Dr. Shawqi Al-Mikhlafi, said that targeting the medical complex represents an attack on a health facility, while the director of the Mokha General Hospital Authority, Dr. Nasr Askar, warned of the dangers of targeting health facilities, medical personnel, and civilians.
The bombing came in the context of an escalation witnessed on the West Coast and western Taiz fronts since last Thursday, when the Houthis expanded their ground attacks, before government forces were able to regain the initiative and make progress in a number of locations.
During the past days, the confrontations moved from the coastal areas to a wider area, with government forces advancing in southern Hodeidah and western Taiz, and regaining positions in several areas, while the group sent reinforcements and tried to maintain its advanced positions.
A member of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Tariq Saleh, said, during his visit to the wounded on the front lines in Mokha hospitals, that the armed forces were able to break what he described as the Iranian project to control “Bab al-Mandab,” stressing that launching the fronts against the Houthis and Iran will strengthen steadfastness and lead, as he put it, to the liberation of Sana’a.
Tariq Saleh reaffirmed the goal of restoring Sanaa and all Yemeni lands and ending the Iranian “Revolutionary Guard” project in Yemen, praising the sacrifices of the forces fighting the confrontations on the west coast.
On Tuesday, Arab foreign ministers condemned the continued Iranian attacks against the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Jordan and Iraq, stressing that they represent a violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of these countries, and a violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, while stressing the right of the targeted countries to defend themselves individually or collectively.
At the conclusion of its 166th regular session at the level of foreign ministers in Cairo, the Council of the League of Arab States affirmed that the Iranian attacks, whether direct or carried out through Tehran’s agents in the region, constitute a violation of Security Council Resolution No. 2817, and the principles of non-use or threat of force, non-interference in internal affairs and good neighborliness, and a threat to regional and international peace and security.
He called on Iran to comply with its obligations under international law and United Nations resolutions, and to immediately and permanently stop attacks and threats targeting Arab countries, their territories, citizens, and civilian and vital installations, calling at the same time to address the causes of tension through dialogue, negotiations, peaceful means, and de-escalation.
Rejecting Iran's actions in the Strait of Hormuz
The Arab foreign ministers condemned Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz and obstruction of navigation in Bab al-Mandab through its agents in the region, warning of the repercussions of this on the security of sea lanes, international trade, and global energy supplies.
The Council categorically rejected Tehran’s establishment of the so-called “Persian Gulf Strait Authority,” and what it described as an attempt to present it as a sovereign entity responsible for managing and regulating the movement of ships in the Strait of Hormuz. It also rejected Iran imposing any fees on passing ships or taking unilateral measures aimed at subjecting freedom of navigation to an Iranian regulatory or supervisory authority.
He called on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, restore freedom of navigation in it “immediately and unconditionally,” and remove mines and obstacles to safe passage, stressing the strategic importance of the Straits of Hormuz, Bab al-Mandab, and the Red Sea for international trade, energy supplies, and global supply chains.
The Arab countries affirmed their commitment to freedom and safety of navigation and the right of legitimate transit passage in the two straits, and rejected any fees, restrictions or unilateral arrangements that hinder the movement of ships, expressing their readiness to work with the countries of the region and the International Maritime Organization to reach permanent arrangements that guarantee the smooth flow of navigation in accordance with international law.
The right to self-defense
The Council reaffirmed “the inherent right to self-defense, individually or collectively,” in response to the Iranian armed attacks, based on Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, stressing the right of Arab countries to protect their ships, ports, marine installations, and vital facilities and to take the necessary measures to do so in accordance with international law.
He also stressed that Iran bears international responsibility for the illegal acts attributed to it and the resulting damages, injuries and economic losses, including damage to ships, ports, marine facilities and energy facilities, and supports the right of affected countries to resort to international and regional institutions and mechanisms to demand accountability and redress.
The League Council expressed “full Arab solidarity” with the targeted Arab countries, warning of Iran’s continued attempts to drag it into the crisis.
He called on the Security Council to fulfill its responsibilities in maintaining international peace and security, ensure the implementation of its Resolution No. 2817 of 2026, and take the necessary measures regarding any actions or threats that obstruct freedom of navigation or threaten international sea lanes.
The Council assigned the Arab groups in international organizations, the Councils of Ambassadors, and the Arab missions to the United Nations and the International Maritime Organization, to take urgent and coordinated action to mobilize international support to protect freedom of navigation and the security of sea lanes and energy corridors, while it assigned the Secretary-General of the League to follow up on the implementation of the resolution and submit a report on it to the next session of the Council.
