Yemen, Saudi Arabia strike Houthis as counteroffensive gets underway — SkimNews
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- Yemen's military, backed by Saudi jets, carried out 1,000+ strikes against Houthi targets including the capital Sanaa on October 5, 2026, with coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki saying 100 warplanes flew at daybreak in operation "Dawn of Yemen."
- Houthis seized Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait coastline in September — a chokepoint for oil and cargo shipping — in Yemen's deadliest fighting in years, displacing more than 184,000 people per UN figures.
- Houthis encircled Taiz after cutting its main supply route to the interim government capital of Aden; the article notes the coalition's 1,000+ strikes have "yet to blunt ongoing Houthi advances on the ground."
- Houthis declared a maritime blockade on Saudi ships and warned Saudi airspace was unsafe for civilian flights (except over Mecca and Medina); an October 4 attack halted pumping via the East-West pipeline to the Red Sea.
- Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser warned on October 5 that global oil stockpiles were "scarily thin" because of the U.S.-Iran war, days after G7 nations agreed to release strategic reserves.
- International Crisis Group analyst Ahmed Nagi cautioned that the Houthi encirclement of Taiz is "significant" but "still too early to say that we are witnessing a decisive turning point."
Why it matters: Yemeni-Saudi forces' 1,000+ airstrikes and 100 warplanes have yet to halt Houthi ground advances — the group just encircled Taiz — while Aramco's CEO says oil stockpiles are 'scarily thin.' Saudi Arabia faces simultaneous Houthi attacks on its pipeline, airspace, and the Red Sea chokepoint now under Houthi control.
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