The Houthis Have Made Key Gains Recently. They Are Now Facing a Counteroffensive From Yemen And The Saudis.

The Yemenite government and Saudi Arabia have launched a counteroffensive against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The head of Yemen's presidential council, Rashad al-Alimi, said the internationally-recognized government has "exhausted all opportunities for de-escalation" with the Houthis.

He went on to say that forces have moved "from the stage of preparation to the stage of action to restore the state." And noted that the operations won't focus on Houthi-controlled areas with large civilian populations, like Sanaa and Hodeida.

Al-Alimi, however, urged residents to stay away from Houthi positions and refrain from having children recruited to fight on behalf of the group.

The Yemenite government declared a general mobilization in late September, with al-Alimi calling on people to rally around the government. He also offered amnesty to Houthi fighters defecting.

Axios also detailed that tens of thousands of ground troops are taking part in the offensive, with Saudi Arabia providing aerial support. And while Riyadh has been calling on the U.S. to provide material support, Washington has so far refrained from doing so, for now providing intelligence and targeting support.

The main goals involve retaking the country's capital, Sanaa, after years, and the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a key waterway in the region. The Houthis have made several gains in the area and have been seeking to prevent Saudi exports from transiting.

The Houtihs reached the island of Perim in the strait in September, a breakthrough that helped the group tighten its grip on the key shipping lane.

Hours earlier, the Houthis took the port city of Mokha, threatening maritime traffic further. The city is some 50 miles from the strait, through which more than 12% of global oil transits, and to which several Gulf countries have resorted as the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed as a result of the war between the U.S. and Iran.

The win was the largest for the Houthis since a 2022 truce that ended the civil war in the country.