On October 4, 2026, the Government of Yemen announced that they would be launching a large-scale offensive campaign against Ansar Allah—better known as the Houthis— after Houthi forces recently waged a ground offensive of their own, blitzing south from their held territory in northwestern Yemen and capturing a number of coastal towns and islands.
Yesterday, October 4, 2026, Rashad al-Alimi, the Presidential Leadership Council chairman, announced an offensive to retake all remaining Houthi-held territory, saying de-escalation had been exhausted. The operation is being referred to as Yemen Dawn, with operations kicking off late last night.
Moving to today, after heavy fighting, the Yemeni government has claimed to have recaptured Mocha city as well as Dhubab district airport at the mouth of the strait, both on the coast of the Red Sea. The government forces are being backed by Saudi aircraft, conducting airstrikes on Houthi positions.
The Yemeni government is specifically attempting to push the Houthis back and reclaim some of the September gains made by the Houthis along the coast of the Red Sea. While recapturing this territory would make it harder for the Houthis to disrupt shipping between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean. While this would make attacks on shipping harder. However, the Houthis would still maintain the ability to launch attacks from further up the coast.
In the mountain town of Taiz, Houthi rebels have claimed to have cut off government forces in the city by capturing sections of the one main road that goes into the city, leaving the government defenders besieged and cut off.
The escalating situation has prompted a response from Saudi allies and signers of the Mecca accords, Turkey and Pakistan, who met in Saudi Arabia and will reportedly be sending military equipment and forces to assist.
More on this story as it develops. This is very ongoing as of right now, and the lines of control are changing often.
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