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The Saudi-led coalition announced that 100 fighter jets participated in the opening phase of Operation Dawn of Yemen on Monday as Yemeni government forces moved to retake territory from the Houthi militia. Coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki stated that the operation had destroyed 324 high-value targets since it began. Al-Maliki added that the coalition was offering round-the-clock air support to Yemeni armed forces on the ground while securing the Bab al-Mandab Strait and continuing strikes on moving targets.
Al-Maliki delivered the update through posts on X shortly after the offensive commenced. The coalition has backed the internationally recognised government throughout the conflict that escalated after the Houthis seized the capital in 2014. Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi had announced the shift to military operations on Sunday after de-escalation efforts were exhausted.
Al-Alimi declared the launch of Operation Dawn of Yemen on Monday with the explicit goals of restoring state institutions, liberating Sanaa and ending the Houthi coup. “With God’s blessing, the ‘Dawn of Yemen’ operation has been launched to restore state institutions, liberate the capital, Sana’a, and end the coup by the terrorist Houthi militias,” Al-Alimi said in a post on X. He added that the campaign would proceed with the support of Yemeni armed forces, military formations and allies.
Yemeni military spokesman Colonel Majid Abdullah Al-Nuzaili reported that government troops conducted 1,122 precision operations against Houthi artillery, rocket positions, fortifications, supply routes and command centers. The military claimed 1,747 Houthi fighters were neutralised across fronts including Saada, Al-Jawf, Taiz and the western coast. Government forces seized Dhubab, positions overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait, Dhubab airport and cut the road to Mokha, according to Al-Nuzaili.
The presidential office stated that parallel civilian plans had been prepared so state institutions could resume functions in newly liberated areas. Al-Alimi stressed the operation targeted only the militia and was not directed at civilians or any particular sect. The developments were corroborated across multiple regional outlets reporting the official statements from both the coalition and the Yemeni government.
Al-Maliki reiterated that coalition air operations would persist in support of ground advances until the objectives were met. The Bab al-Mandab area remained a focal point given its importance for international shipping routes. Yemeni forces including the Southern Giants Brigades participated in the ground push that surrounded some Houthi elements in the strait zone.
