The Next Front Explodes: Yemen Launches Counterattack Against the Houthis

The Yemeni government has launched a counterattack against the Houthis following attacks that killed 17 soldiers. Fighting in Marib and Hadramawt is intensifying, and there are fears of a collapse of the ceasefire and a return to full-scale civil war, against the backdrop of the regional confrontation with Iran.

The internationally recognized Yemeni government announced that its forces launched a counterattack on Saturday against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, following days of Houthi attacks on Yemeni military positions. According to a report in the New York Times, this is the most severe wave of fighting recently, threatening to plunge the country into full-scale civil war. The escalation began several days ago when the Houthis attacked military targets in the oil- and gas-rich provinces of Marib and Hadramawt. At least 17 Yemeni soldiers were killed in the attacks, and two civilians were killed and 14 wounded, including children. Yemeni army spokesman Colonel Majid al-Nuzaili said his forces carried out military operations against terrorist elements of the Houthi militia in several locations, without providing further details. Yemen's civil war has been ongoing since 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa with Tehran's support. The ceasefire reached in 2022 could collapse. The fighting takes on broader significance against the backdrop of the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran in late February, and last month the Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea. Expert Farea al-Muslimi of Chatham House assesses that the Houthis are likely to escalate their attacks.