Yemen, Saudi Arabia strike Houthis
Yemen’s military, backed by Saudi jets, attacked Houthi targets, including in the capital on Monday, as they launched an ambitious counteroffensive to recapture all territory held by the group following its recent lightning gains.
The Yemeni military said it carried out more than 1,000 strikes and began an offensive against the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, while the Saudi-led coalition supporting the internationally recognised government said 100 warplanes flew sorties at dawn.
The government announced the lofty goal of retaking all Houthi territory – home to most of Yemen’s population, and much of it held for more than a decade – on Sunday.
Last month the Iran-backed group seized swathes of coastline along the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, a chokepoint for oil and cargo shipping, in Yemen’s deadliest fighting in years.
The Houthis have also been attacking neighbouring Saudi Arabia since Yemen’s civil war flared back to life, and have declared a maritime blockade on its ships.
A source in the Saudi energy sector told journalists that an attack on Sunday had again halted pumping by the East-West pipeline to the Red Sea, a key conduit for the kingdom’s exports since Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz at the start of the wider Middle East war.
Later on Monday, the Houthis’ agency that liaises with airlines warned that Saudi airspace was not safe for civilian flights as it “will be the theatre of operations of our armed forces”, but it carved out exceptions for the skies over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
Crude prices had already been soaring as a result of the Middle East war, before the Houthis began targeting the tankers and infrastructure of the world’s largest oil exporter.
Saudi Aramco chief executive Amin Nasser warned on Monday that global oil stockpiles were “scarily thin” owing to the US-Iran war, days after G7 nations agreed to release more of their inventories to ease supply concerns.
“The system is already straining,” Nasser told the Energy Intelligence Forum in London.
The Houthis have accused the Saudi-led coalition of carrying out hundreds of strikes since the renewed fighting began.
On Sunday, Yemen’s military spokesman announced over 1,000 strikes against targets including artillery and rocket launcher positions, combat reinforcements and supply lines.
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