RIYADH — The Saudi-led Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen said Monday that 100 fighter jets took part in the opening hours of Operation Dawn of Yemen, as it intensified air support for Yemeni government forces seeking to retake state institutions and territory held by the Houthis.
Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki said 324 “high-value targets” had been destroyed since the operation began.
“100 fighter jets participated at dawn today in Operation Dawn of Yemen,” Al-Maliki said in posts on X, adding that the coalition was providing round-the-clock air support to Yemeni armed forces on the ground.
He said coalition air forces were also securing the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, a strategic maritime passage linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, while operations against moving targets were continuing.
The coalition’s military support comes after Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi announced the start of military operations to retake remaining territory outside government control and restore state authority across the country.
Al-Alimi said the decision followed the exhaustion of opportunities for de-escalation and continued Houthi threats to Yemen’s sovereignty, civilians and international shipping lanes.
On Monday, Al-Alimi formally announced the launch of Operation Dawn of Yemen, saying its objectives were to restore state institutions, retake the capital Sanaa and end the Houthi takeover.
He said the operation was being carried out by Yemen’s armed forces and military formations with support from regional and international partners.
The Coalition’s Joint Forces Command said Sunday it would continue providing “full operational support” to Yemeni government forces, linking its military measures to the protection of Saudi Arabia’s security as well as regional and international security amid Houthi attacks and attempts to target vessels in the southern Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab.
Securing Bab Al-Mandab is a central element of the current operation as fighting intensifies around strategic areas overlooking the Red Sea and risks to international shipping and trade increase.
The operation also coincides with escalating fighting in Taiz, where government forces and the Houthis are battling over key routes connecting the city with government-held areas to the south.
Source: Saudi Gazette