Yemen, Saudi Arabia launch new strikes against Houthis in bid to retake lost territory

AFP, via France 24, reports that the Yemeni military said it carried out more than 1,000 strikes and began an offensive against the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa[2].Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki said 100 jets flew at daybreak as part of an operation dubbed "Dawn of Yemen"[2], France 24 reports. He said it would "retake the remaining territories of the republic and extend the authority of the state"[3].CNN reports that Yemeni government forces claimed Monday to have retaken key positions near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait[4]. CNN quotes Yemeni analyst Fatima Alasrar, who wrote on X: "The Houthi coastal momentum is broken."[4]France 24 notes, however, that the strikes have yet to blunt ongoing Houthi advances on the ground[2]. It reports that on Sunday the group effectively encircled the city of Taiz after cutting the main supply route linking it to the interim government capital of Aden[2].CNN reports that the group also claimed that it targeted sites Monday in Saudi Arabia, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh[4], and that there was no immediate response from Saudi authorities[4].According to Al-Monitor, citing UN figures, the fighting has displaced more than 184,000 people[5].