Passersby stroll through a market in Taiz, Yemen, on Oct. 4, 2026. (Credit: AFP photo)
The Saudi-led military coalition announced on Monday its participation in the new Yemen government offensive — announced a day earlier — targeting the Iran-backed Houthis, with 100 warplanes used in dawn strikes to provide air cover for ground forces.
“A hundred fighter jets participated at dawn today in Operation 'Dawn of Yemen'," coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki wrote on X, using the name for the new offensive announced on Sunday. "Round-the-clock air support for the Yemeni armed forces on the ground.” He detailed that they have destroyed 324 high-value targets since the launch of the operation. The coalition is also “providing air protection for the Bab al-Mandeb Strait,” which is strategic for international maritime trade, and continues to target “mobile targets,” according to the spokesman.
On Sunday, the Houthis cut off a key route linking Taiz, a major southwestern city they now encircle, to Aden, where the internationally recognized government is based.
Government forces press offensive
The head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, subsequently announced the launch of an offensive aimed at retaking all territory, dubbed “Dawn of Yemen.”
The Houthi movement dealt major setbacks to Yemeni government forces and their Saudi ally in September, notably tightening its grip on the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
According to military and government sources cited by Reuters, government forces on Monday seized key positions on the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. They notably took control of much of the Dhubab district, which overlooks the strait, and are working to secure full control with coalition air support. Houthi-affiliated media had previously denied any advances by government forces in the area.
Saudi east-west pipeline
The Houthis also regularly target Saudi Arabia, the Yemeni government’s ally. They have carried out numerous strikes against the kingdom and imposed a blockade on its fleet. An attack carried out Sunday in the east of the kingdom and claimed by the Houthis led to the interruption of oil transport through the East-West pipeline, an energy industry source told AFP on Monday. This pipeline has become crucial for Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude exporter, since Iran imposed severe restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz at the start of the Middle East war, constraining the main route for Saudi oil exports to international markets.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a British maritime security agency, also reported “multiple explosions” Sunday night near a tanker off the Yemeni city of Mocha. “The crew is safe and no environmental damage has been reported,” it said.
