Yemeni government launches offensive to seize all areas from Iran-backed Houthis
Yemen's Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government announced on Sunday that it was launching a major military campaign to recapture all areas of the country held by the Houthis, with President Rashad al-Alimi saying the armed forces would press the offensive until the country is liberated from the grip of the terrorist militia. The Houthis said they had launched ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi Aramco sites in Riyadh and the Khurais area, claiming the attacks were a response to 50 Saudi-led air and missile strikes in Yemen in the past 12 hours. There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi Arabia.
Why it matters: The offensive and the Houthi strikes on Saudi oil sites bear directly on the briefing's energy-security theme, because Houthi control of the Bab el-Mandeb strait and attacks on Aramco infrastructure affect Gulf crude exports and Red Sea shipping.