Yemeni leader says armed forces can regain initiative on western coast

Yemeni President Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi, Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, affirmed that the state and its armed forces are capable of regaining the initiative on the western coast. He stressed that any temporary developments on the ground will not change the Yemeni people's goal of restoring national institutions, ending suffering, and countering the Houthi militia’s threat to international peace and security.

During his meeting on Thursday with French Ambassador to Yemen Catherine Corm-Kamon, marking the end of her tenure, Al-Alimi explained that the armed forces continue operations on multiple fronts, inflicting heavy losses on Houthi militias in Taiz, Marib, Lahj, Al-Jawf, Hajjah, Al-Bayda, Al-Dhale and other areas.

The council chairman noted these operations coincide with repositioning forces and enhancing their ability to regain the initiative, preventing any temporary field gains from becoming a fait accompli or a platform to threaten maritime routes.

Al-Alimi said developments in the country consistently demonstrate the Yemeni state’s ability to turn crises into opportunities. He recalled that the militias once believed their takeover of the capital Sanaa and most cities was final, before the state regained the interim capital Aden and more than 70 percent of Yemeni territory.

He added that current events mark a new phase in the ongoing struggle to restore state institutions, secure national territory, coasts, and territorial waters, and protect maritime passages from armed threats and cross-border smuggling networks.

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Al-Alimi stressed that a strong Yemeni state is now not only a national interest but a necessity for regional and international security. He called for shifting the relationship between Yemen’s government and its international partners from crisis management to a strategic partnership in security and deterrence.

He explained that such a partnership includes building state capacities, protecting ports and territorial waters, combating terrorism and smuggling, and cutting off funding and arms supplies to rogue groups.

On the diplomatic front, Al-Alimi expressed deep appreciation for Ambassador Catherine Corm-Kamon’s efforts to strengthen Yemen-France relations, wishing her success in her future assignments.

He also thanked France for its steadfast support for the Yemeni people and their aspirations to end suffering and restore state institutions, commending France’s strong stance against Houthi escalation and its insistence on halting their arming and funding, and affirming that freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and international straits is non-negotiable.