Yemeni Forces Launch Offensive With Saudi-Led Air Support

Yemen’s internationally recognized government launched a major offensive against Houthi forces along the Red Sea coast on October 5, backed by an intensified Saudi-led coalition air campaign that coalition officials said involved 100 fighter jets. The operation followed recent Houthi territorial gains in the southwest, including the reported capture of Turbah. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said the aircraft were supporting government forces and providing air protection over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The coalition also said it had destroyed 324 high-value targets since the operation began. That figure, like the coalition’s account of its air operations, was not independently verified in the reports. Yemeni military spokesman Majid Abdullah al-Nuzayli said government forces captured Dhubab airport and cut the road between Dhubab and Mokha, establishing fire control over the route. Government forces and allied groups also said they had taken control of the Bab el-Mandeb area. The reported territorial gains were claims by Yemeni officials; independent confirmation of control at the locations was not provided. The government named the campaign Dawn of Yemen.