Yemen's Defense Ministry vows to retake Sanaa from Houthis
Majed al-Nuzaili, spokesman for forces loyal to Yemen's government, said the military's goal is to free the country from Houthi control and restore Sanaa as the capital of all Yemenis. Deputy Defense Minister Samir al-Sabri announced that the decision to retake Sanaa is now final.
RastinewsYemen's Deputy Defense Minister, Major General Samir al-Sabri, told state television that the decision to retake Sanaa from the Houthis is final. Fighting has intensified in Taiz, al-Bayda and al-Jawf, the province seen as the main route into the capital.
Warning to civilians on roads
Al-Nuzaili urged civilians to avoid the Nihm, Sirwah, Mahliya and al-Hazm routes linking Sanaa to Marib and al-Jawf.
Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, said the military had made major gains in al-Jawf, al-Bayda, Taiz and Hudaydah. "Our armed forces will continue their constitutional duty until state institutions are restored and their authority extends across all Yemeni territory," Alimi said.
Houthis claim counterattack
The Houthis said they repelled an offensive in al-Jawf. The group said an airstrike on a prison in the town of al-Hazm killed at least seven people, blaming the strike on Riyadh. Saudi Arabia, in turn, said Houthi attacks on the kingdom's southern provinces wounded at least 73 civilians, including women and children.
The Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014 and took control of large parts of the country, a move that triggered a Saudi-led military intervention the following year.
A UN-brokered truce in April 2022 brought a relative calm after nearly 12 years of war. The current fighting marks one of the most serious escalations since then.