Yemen’s grinding civil war entered a dramatic new chapter on Monday, as forces loyal to the Presidential Leadership Council announced the launch of a sweeping military campaign codenamed « Dawn of Yemen. » Council chairman Rashad al-Alimi described the operation as the most ambitious push in years to reclaim state institutions and, ultimately, retake the capital Sanaa, which has remained under the control of Houthi rebels, also known as Ansar Allah, since 2014.
According to initial statements from the government command, loyalist troops are already claiming control over two strategically vital towns on the western coast, Mokha and Dhubab, both located near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow chokepoint through which a substantial share of global maritime trade passes each year. Fighting has also intensified on the Lahj front, particularly around the Sabeeha area, where government units have reportedly been placed on high alert along contested lines facing Houthi positions.
The offensive comes at a moment when years of regional and international mediation efforts have repeatedly failed to produce a lasting, comprehensive ceasefire. Yemen’s war, which erupted in 2014 after Houthi forces seized Sanaa, has triggered one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises and continues to cast a long shadow over regional maritime security, with the Bab el-Mandeb corridor frequently the scene of incidents affecting commercial shipping.
For analysts tracking the Yemeni file, the launch of a ground offensive of this scale signals the government camp’s intent, backed by the Arab coalition, to seize back military initiative after months of relative stalemate along the front lines. It also unfolds against a tense regional backdrop, shaped by parallel developments in the Red Sea and by growing international attention to the security of a waterway that remains critical to trade flows linking Asia, East Africa and Europe.
No official response from the Houthi side had been issued as these lines were published. On the ground, the situation remains fluid, with both sides contesting positions along a front that now stretches from the Red Sea coast to the outskirts of Lahj. The coming hours are expected to prove decisive in determining the true scale of the territorial gains claimed by government forces, and in showing whether this operation marks a genuine turning point in a conflict now well into its second decade, or simply another chapter in a grinding war of attrition with no swift resolution in sight.
