ADEN, Yemen, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Yemen announced the launch of a new military operation aimed at retaking the capital Sanaa from Houthi control, as government forces mounted a counteroffensive near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Speaking from his office in Saudi Arabia on Monday, Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi said the large-scale military operation, dubbed "Dawn of Yemen," seeks to restore state institutions, recapture Sanaa and end the Houthi takeover, according to a statement carried by the state-run Saba news agency.
"Operation Dawn of Yemen has begun," al-Alimi said, adding that government forces and other military formations would press ahead with support from regional partners, in an apparent reference to Saudi Arabia, toward what he described as a new period of peace and stability.
Earlier in the day, government forces from the Giants Brigades launched a counteroffensive against Houthi positions overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait, seeking to reverse the group's recent gains around the vital maritime chokepoint, a government military official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen announced that 100 fighter jets took part early Monday in the operation.
Coalition spokesman Turki Al-Maliki said on X that 100 fighter jets participated in the operation at dawn, destroying 324 "high-value" targets.
He added that the coalition is providing air protection for the Bab al-Mandab Strait while continuing to engage moving targets and providing round-the-clock air support to the Yemeni armed forces on the ground. ■
