Rashad al-Alimi

They finally got round to launching a counteroffensive.

It was October 4th, Rashad Al-Alimi, chairman of the, uh, Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, he said, quote, "Uh, I announce today the start of military operations to retake the remaining territories of the republic and extend the authority of the state and its institutions across the entire national territory." That is to say, retake the, all Houthi territory.

Mm.

Um, they claimed to have, uh, sort of secured the Bab el-Mandab Strait, although it's worth saying the Houthis, uh, have denied this.

Mm.

They also said they've retaken, uh, the port city of Mokha, which they lost previously.

Again, maybe they've made inroads there, but whether they've taken it completely, um, you know, as sort the statement, uh, said, uh, uh, Rashad Al-Alimi's statement said, and what th- they've said, uh, after that, a goal for them is to recapture the capital city of Y- of, uh, Sanaa-

Mm-hmm

One of the main areas of focus is Dubai, overlooking the government of straight, straight, I mean, city-backed government forces say they have advanced in the area and taking control of a number of positions, but are not controlled by Ansar, also known as the Houthis, strongly disputes these claims.

dubai is particularly important because it lies on their western approaches to the parliament of straits so any um significant shift there could have wider military and strategic implications there has also been fighting around turban other parts of thailand officials say their forces have pushed to push to the back forces out of al-masad district south of thailand and ma'afer and have reached the residence of Rashad al-Alimi, the chairman of Yemen's Residential Leadership Council.

And alongside the ground fighting, Saudi airstrikes have continued hitting Sana'a as well as areas in Sadr and Sana'a governorates.

Sana'a-based health authorities say nine civilians have been killed or injured in the strikes.

S- uh, well, since you, you know, you've opened up the Hegseth discussion, there was a report in The Washington Post today about events that took place at the beginning of the administration, at the outset, but in which Pete Hegseth was a central player, and that was Operation Rough Rider, which was the initial campaign the administration launched in the spring of 2025 after coming into office against the Houthis.

Why don't we talk about that a little bit? Because it, I think, can get us into a conversation about the, what's going on right now, which is this new, uh, offensive declared by Rashad Al Alimi, the head of the Presidential Leadership Council who, uh, of Yemen, which is the internationally recognized government of Yemen, although he sits physically in Saudi Arabia and is obviously a client, uh, of the Saudis.

Uh, let's talk about, sort of first about Rough Rider and what it tells us about this administration, and then maybe about this Saudi offensive, Saudi Yemeni, uh, offensive to try and take back, uh, what the Houthis have gained over the last three weeks along the, uh, Red Sea coast of Yemen.

Right, so the, I mean, the thing to remember is this is March 2025.

We know that.

Rashad Al-Alimi, head of the ruling Presidential Leadership Council in Saudi Arabia, said in a speech that operations are aimed at recovering remaining territories controlled by the Houthis.

He called on the international community to provide support to the government, Saudi government.

And hours after his declaration, sorry, Saudi military spokesperson General al-Maliki vowed full operational support to Yemeni's government forces until the Houthis are, quote, eliminated.

In response, the Houthis, an armed group who refer to themselves by the Arabic name Ansarullah, or Supporters of God, have claimed attacks on airports, oil infrastructure, and military sites in Saudi Arabia, according to Al Jazeera.

Rashad Al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, says the government's new operation, Dawn of Yemen, announced on Sunday, aims to retake all remaining Houthi-held territory, including the capital city of Sana'a, which the group has controlled since 2014, when Yemen's civil war first started.

Thousands of students and faculty took to Cornell University's Ithaca, New York campus yesterday in a demonstration sparked by the case of a former student known as Jane Doe, who asserts in a recent lawsuit that she was given drugs and raped at a Chi Phi fraternity house in 2024 by seven of its members.

The demonstration took place after some students had smashed a glass door at the entrance of Day Hall, the building that houses the president's office, and painted messages on the facade at approximately 3 a.m. Monday morning, independently financed student paper The Cornell Daily Sun reports.

There has also been fighting around Turba and other parts of Taiz.

Sana'a officials say their forces have pushed Saudi-backed forces out of al-Muassad district, south of Taiz and Ma'afer, and have reached the residence of Rashad al-Alimi, the chairman of Yemen's Residential Leadership Council.

The acting governor of Taiz has also claimed that their residents and the wider district are now under unsolidary control.

And alongside the ground fighting, Saudi airstrikes have continued today, hitting Sana'a as well as areas in Sada and Sana'a governorates.