Yemen's Al-Alimi Calls General Mobilization Against Houthi Rebels

Rashad al-Alimi, who leads Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council backed by Saudi Arabia, called on Yemenis on Friday to join a general mobilization against Houthi rebel forces, as the government seeks to restore state institutions and extend sovereignty over the entire country, including the Houthi-held capital Sanaa.³¹²

A call to arms

In a televised address marking the 64th anniversary of the September 26 Revolution, al-Alimi—who Deutsche Welle said also serves as Supreme Commander of the Yemeni Armed Forces—urged compatriots to join government forces after what the outlet described as a major setback dealt by the Iran-backed Houthis. He said, "I call upon the sons of our great people to engage in general mobilization and national mobilization, to rally around their armed and security forces."³

Al-Alimi framed the objective as restoring state institutions and sovereignty over Yemen's whole territory. He said the goal was "to restore state institutions and extend state sovereignty over the entirety of our national territory, all the way to Sana'a," a reference to the capital that has been under Houthi control since 2014, according to Deutsche Welle.²³

He also announced an amnesty for anyone who defects from the Houthis, framing former fighters as compatriots rather than adversaries. "The state does not view you as a party to the conflict but as its people and partners," he said, according to Deutsche Welle. Anadolu Agency and EFE reported the amnesty would apply to anyone who stops working or fighting for the Houthis from that day, with EFE noting it would include regularised military status for defectors joining the government side.³⁷⁸

Al-Alimi also urged residents of Houthi-controlled areas not to send their children to fight alongside the group, according to Deutsche Welle. His office said he reaffirmed commitment to the outcome of the Saudi-sponsored South-South dialogue and described the state's measures as aimed at protecting civilians and preserving social peace following what he characterized as Houthi escalation.³²

Houthi advances and rising tension

The appeal follows what Al Jazeera described as dramatic Houthi advances in western Yemen during September, including the capture of Mocha and Mayyun Island, after a 2022 truce that had paused twelve years of fighting recently collapsed. Deutsche Welle reported that government forces collapsed as the Houthis swept through and took control of the entirety of Yemen's Red Sea coastline in a swift offensive, gaining full command of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a chokepoint Al Jazeera described as one of the world's busiest shipping routes linking the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean and of crucial economic and strategic importance to Saudi Arabia, which backs Yemen's internationally recognised government.¹³

Deutsche Welle reported that Houthi control of Bab al-Mandab had ignited global fears about shipping through the strait, and that the group had intensified missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, declaring a maritime blockade and striking Saudi targets it said were intended to stifle Saudi oil exports. The Houthis have accused Saudi Arabia of besieging Yemeni areas under their control. Over the weekend, the Houthis struck Riyadh for the first time in years, an event Deutsche Welle characterized as a major escalation.³

Al Jazeera reported that most analysts view the government's position as rarely weaker, and that the 2022 truce recently collapsed after pausing years of conflict.¹

Regional response

Days before al-Alimi's speech, a senior Houthi official, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, warned other countries against joining Saudi Arabia in what the Associated Press described as the revived war, claiming the Houthis had reassured the United States they would not attack U.S. vessels. The AP report came out before al-Alimi's mobilisation address, offering background from the Houthi side rather than a reaction to his call.⁴

The New York Times reported that a top Saudi cleric, described as the grand mufti, called the fight against the Houthis a religious duty and called on Saudi-led forces to stay continuously prepared, a statement the paper said suggested Saudi Arabia might expand its campaign in Yemen. Al Jazeera also reported that Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan announced an emergency meeting of military chiefs to address the threat, following a Mecca Joint Defence Agreement the three signed in August, and that Saudi Arabia unveiled a new naval coalition to patrol the Red Sea. Separately, Abdullah Abdulkader Al Alimi-Bawzer told the UN General Assembly that Houthi militias could not be trusted, arguing that their exploitation of navigation safety for blackmail endangers not just Yemen but effectively holds the entire global economy hostage.⁶¹

Baraa Shiban, a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute, questioned how any foreign military presence would be received, saying, "I really can't imagine Yemeni citizens reacting all that well to the sight of armed Turkish, Pakistani and Saudi forces on their soil." He added he would be surprised if Turkish and Pakistani involvement extended beyond technical support and intelligence sharing.¹