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Yemen's government leader announces offensive as Houthis cut Taiz supply route
The leader of Yemen's Saudi-backed government announced a military operation on Sunday to recapture Houthi-held territory, as security sources said Houthi forces had cut a vital supply route to government-held Taiz.
The leader of Yemen's Saudi-backed government announced the start of a major military operation against the Iran-backed Houthis on Sunday, seeking to recapture territory they control. Security sources said Houthi forces had meanwhile severed a vital supply route to government-held Taiz.
Yemeni military sources said the Houthis had stopped traffic on the main road connecting Taiz with Aden. They said fighting in the area was continuing.
Taiz itself remains under government control. Houthi fighters have long besieged it from the north, east and west, and the city remains one of the principal fronts in Yemen's civil war.
In a statement, Rashad al-Alimi announced military operations intended to regain the republic's remaining territories and extend the authority of the state and its institutions throughout the country.
The announcement follows a rapid Houthi offensive last month that captured large stretches of the Red Sea coastline, marking another major escalation in the war against the group.