 "Yemeni govt preparing 80,000-soldier push against Houthis, US support likely: Report")
In what could be termed as the largest offensive of the Yemeni civil war, the internationally recognised government there could soon launch a massive operation against Houthis to reclaim control of Hodeidah Port. According to a report in Emirati state media, the operation could involve as many as 80,000 soldiers from the legitimate Yemeni government.
The report quoted Dr Abdulaziz Sager, chairman of the Gulf Research Center based in Saudi Arabia, as saying that the operation could pave the ground for a similar offensive on the capital city Sana’a, which has been under Houthi control since 2014.
“To my best knowledge, there is a preparation of almost 80,000 soldiers from the legitimate Yemeni government in different locations in order to take over [Hodeidah],” Sager said.
USA’s role
The US administration has renewed strikes against Houthis beginning last month, leading to the death of several key leaders of the Iran-backed rebels. On Saturday (April 12), Houthis said the US launched ten air strikes in three provinces in Yemen after US President Donald Trump last month threatened to “completely annihilate them.”
Sager believes those US strikes may have prompted the Yemeni government to seek to deal another blow to the militias. He said the US could provide aerial cover and drone surveillance to Yemeni fighters during the operation.
“I think we might be at the stage of counting down the end of the Houthis,” Dr. Sager said. “They’ve had every chance for a political discussion and be a part of a government that would save Yemen from all this suffering.”
A meeting between US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla and the Chief of Staff of the Yemeni Armed Forces Lt. Gen. Sagheer Hamoud Ahmed Aziz also took place in Saudi Arabia last week.
Impact Shorts
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Back in 2018, a joint offensive by Yemeni, Saudi, and Emirati forces surrounded the strategic city of Hodeidah, aiming to choke off supplies to Houthi fighters holed up inside. The move sparked international alarm, with the UN and several countries warning that the siege could tip Yemen—already teetering on the brink—into full-blown famine.
Fast forward to now, and experts like Sager are sounding the alarm again. He cautioned that any fresh attack on Hodeidah would likely trigger the same level of global pushback. But here’s the kicker: with recent budget cuts to American and British foreign aid, the world may be less equipped this time to stave off a humanitarian catastrophe.
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