ADEN, Yemen/SANAA – Yemeni government forces launched a counteroffensive Monday against Houthi positions overlooking the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, seeking to reverse the group's recent gains around one of the world's busiest maritime chokepoints, a government military official told Xinhua.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that government forces from the Giants Brigades advanced under air cover into Dhubab district in southwestern Taiz province, where fighting erupted around Houthi positions overlooking approaches to the strait.
"The forces are advancing on several fronts in Dhubab," the official said, adding that government troops, backed by local tribal fighters, had recaptured several positions and cut a supply route used by the Houthis to reinforce their forces near Bab al-Mandab.
Several Houthi fighters were also captured during the advance, the official said, without giving a number. "The military operation is continuing, with Saudi-led coalition air cover supporting the ground forces," he added.
Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, citing a military source within the group, denied the reported government advances toward Dhubab on Monday, dismissing them as "completely false" and accusing Saudi media of seeking to cover up battlefield setbacks.
Yemeni leader announces large-scale military campaign
Monday's counteroffensive comes a day after Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, announced on Sunday the start of what the government calls the "battle of liberation," signaling a broader campaign to retake Houthi-held territory after weeks of escalating fighting across the war-torn country.
In a televised address broadcast by Yemen's state television from Riyadh, Al-Alimi, who is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces, said the government was moving "from the preparation phase to the action phase," formally launching a broader military campaign after weeks of mobilization.
The decision followed resolutions by the country's National Defense Council and came after what he described as the exhaustion of opportunities for de-escalation, he said, accusing the Houthis of using the period of restraint to mobilize more fighters and expand attacks.
Seeking to reassure people in Houthi-held areas, Al-Alimi stressed that the large-scale military campaign was not directed against residents of Sanaa, Saada, Hodeidah or other provinces under the group's control, nor against any religious sect or tribe.
"You are not the target of these operations," he said, urging residents to stay away from military positions, troop concentrations and supply routes. He also renewed an offer of amnesty and safe return for Houthi fighters who lay down their weapons and stop fighting.
The announcement came at a critical point on the battlefield, with the Houthis making fresh territorial gains Sunday in southwestern Taiz province.
A Yemeni military official told Xinhua earlier in the day that Houthi fighters had advanced through parts of Ash Shamayatayn and neighboring Al-Ma'afer districts in Taiz, capturing several positions and forcing government forces to retreat.
Houthis claim fresh attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities
Also on Sunday, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea
He said in a statement broadcast by al-Masirah that the group carried out two separate operations using "a number of ballistic missiles and drones."
Sarea said one operation targeted an Aramco facility in Riyadh and the other struck the company's oil facilities in Khurais, Southeast of the Saudi capital, claiming both attacks "achieved their objectives" with precise hits that caused large fires.
The claims could not be independently verified. There was no immediate comment from Saudi authorities or Saudi Aramco on the latest Houthi announcement.
British maritime agency reports explosions off Yemen's Mocha
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said that several explosions occurred near a vessel in the Red Sea off Yemen's western port city of Mocha.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, the UKMTO said it had received a report of an incident 60 nautical miles south of Mocha.
A tanker had observed several explosions in close proximity to the vessel. All crew members were reported safe, with no environmental impact reported, according to the statement.
The UKMTO said authorities were investigating the incident and advised vessels to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity.
The incident was the first of its kind since the Houthi group took control of Mocha, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and areas along Yemen's western coast in September.
On July 20, the Houthis announced a maritime ban targeting Saudi Arabia following tensions with the Yemeni government and reciprocal attacks on Sanaa airport and Saudi Arabia's Abha airport, despite a UN-brokered truce reached in 2022.
