Aden, Oct 6:
Yemen’s Saudi-backed government has launched a major military campaign aimed at recapturing territory held by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, escalating a conflict that is also threatening security around the strategic Red Sea shipping route.
The internationally recognised government announced the offensive as its forces advanced along parts of the Red Sea coast and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The government has said the campaign is aimed at restoring state control and eventually retaking Sanaa, which has been under Houthi control since 2014.
The escalation has triggered a sharp response from the Houthis. The group claimed it launched missile and drone attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, an Aramco facility and other military and strategic locations. Saudi-backed forces have meanwhile carried out strikes against Houthi positions along the Red Sea coast.
The renewed fighting has also raised concerns over the humanitarian situation in Yemen, where years of conflict have already displaced millions and weakened basic services. The latest escalation could further threaten shipping through one of the world’s important maritime corridors.
Yemen’s civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis descended from their northern stronghold, capturing Sanaa and forcing the government to flee into exile in Saudi Arabia. The war created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters and killed more than 150,000 people.
The latest bout of violence has killed at least 959 people and wounded over 4,200 others, according to the World Health Organisation. The flare-up forced over 145,000 people to flee their homes inside Yemen, according to the UN migration agency. More than 3,000 others fled across the waters into Djibouti, the agency reported.
Last week, Yemen’s health ministry — part of the internationally recognized government — warned about the impact of the conflict on health facilities and medical staff across the entire Taiz province. The ministry said in a statement on Friday that health facilities in coastal, western and southern areas of the province have closed or are barely partially functioning.