Government claims 16,100 Houthi casualties in one month
Sanaa residents report a calmer month despite daily airstrikes, while the Houthis push south and fire missiles into Saudi Arabia.
By Giulia Marshall ·
For Mohammed Ahmed, a 40-year-old resident of Sanaa, the last 30 days have brought a quiet respite. The city, which has been under Houthi control since September 2014, remains largely calm despite recurring air strikes. Ahmed said his anxiety has eased since the internationally recognised government launched Operation Dawn of Yemen on October 5 to retake territory from Ansar Allah fighters.
The government has provided stark figures regarding the campaign's toll. It announced that 1,540 Houthi fighters were killed or wounded in a single day last month. By late last week, officials put the total number of Houthi operatives and commanders killed or wounded since the offensive began at 16,100. The Houthis have not confirmed these numbers but report that coalition attacks have reached 3,939 since the escalation began.
Turki al-Goblan, head of the Saudi Daimumah Center for Studies, said the offensive has struck three pillars of Houthi survival: fuel and supply systems, maritime routes around the Bab al-Mandeb strait, and local tribal support. He argued that attrition has outpaced the group's ability to recover, turning repeated losses into an inability to sustain the fight. Yazeed al-Jeddawy, a research manager at the Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies, noted that the conflict is intertwined with the wider regional confrontation involving Iran.
While Sanaa has seen less action, fighting has intensified in the south. Houthi forces have gained ground in the provinces of Taiz and Lahij. Abdulsalam Mohammed, chairman of the Yemeni Abaad Studies and Research Center, said air strikes have killed many Houthi field commanders and hundreds of fighters, particularly in Taiz and along the western coast. He added that these territorial gains could be short-lived if government airpower and ground forces maintain coordinated attacks.
The Houthis have responded with daily missile and drone fire into Saudi Arabia, hitting multiple airports and disrupting air traffic. One recent attack killed at least 70 government security recruits in Shabwah. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree stated the group continues to fire daily to maintain pressure on the coalition.
Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council reaffirmed its commitment to the operation on Monday. Government forces said they reclaimed the Dhubab district in Taiz and key positions near Bab al-Mandeb. On Sunday, they reported recapturing strategic heights east of al-Hazm in the northern al-Jawf governorate.
Colonel Wadah al-Dubaish, spokesperson for the government-aligned Joint Forces on the West Coast, acknowledged the Houthi expansion in Taiz but called it a costly adventure. He claimed the group has lost more fighters in the past month than in previous years combined. Al-Dubaish said the group used past ceasefires to prepare and mobilise, and he urged all factions in Yemen to unite against the threat.
