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Yemeni Foreign Minister Afrah ez-Zube said the military operation launched against the Iran-backed Houthis aims to restore the state's control over the country's sovereign decisions and free the Yemeni people from the group's grip. "The Houthis are trying to turn our country, Yemen, into a platform that threatens the region and the world," Zube said.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency in Istanbul during an official visit to Türkiye, Zube said the campaign, announced as "Operation Yemen Dawn" by Presidential Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi on October 5, 2026, is also meant to stop threats to maritime traffic in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Goals of Operation Yemen Dawn

Zube said the operation is intended to liberate the country and its people from what the minister described as terrorist Houthi militias, and to rebuild state power and reassert Yemen's authority over its own decisions.

The minister said the campaign also aims to prevent the Houthis from endangering Yemenis and their future, and to stop the group from becoming a force that threatens shipping through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait. "In recent years, the threats to maritime transport in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait are a clear indication of this," Zube said.

Accusations of regional and international threats

Zube said the Houthis are destroying Yemen's present and future and are working to turn the country into a base that threatens the region and the world. The minister described the group as terrorist and said it endangers regional and international security.

"The Houthis are also violating Yemen's sovereignty and cooperating with terrorist organizations in the Horn of Africa and other regions," Zube said. "The Houthis are also trying to turn Yemen into a base for attacks against its neighbors. The terrorist attacks against Saudi Arabia are part of this."

Talks used to rearm, minister says

Zube said the Iran-backed Houthis are not a group that believes in diplomacy and negotiations that lead to peace. The length of the war, the minister said, stems from the long-held belief of Yemen and the international community that the conflict could be resolved peacefully.

"We pursued the peace process many times and moved from one round of negotiations to another. But the Houthis used the peace process and the negotiation rounds to arm themselves and develop their capabilities. In doing so they became a real power that threatens Yemen, the region and the world," Zube said.

Zube said the international community and neighboring states have now reached the view that the Houthis are not and cannot be a genuine partner for peace, adding that the group poses a serious threat to security and peace in Yemen and the region.

Conditions for peace

Setting out the requirements for a settlement, Zube listed disarmament, the rebuilding of state institutions and the transformation of the Houthis into a political component within Yemen's political structure. The group must not have the right or the capacity to carry out terrorism in Yemen, the minister said.

Zube said the Houthis have used every truce and every round of talks to arm themselves, expand their military capacity and threaten the future of Yemenis, the region and the world. For that reason, the government believes the conditions for a genuine, just and lasting peace must first be created.

Achieving peace requires implementation of the agreed reference frameworks, Zube said, citing United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216, the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference and the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative.

Military buildup and use of state resources

Since seizing the capital Sana'a and strategic areas along the Red Sea coast, the Houthis have spent 12 years expanding their weapons capacity with Iranian support, according to Zube. "With the knowledge and experience provided by Iranian experts, the Houthis gained a certain capacity to produce or assemble some weapon parts inside Yemen," the minister said.

Zube said the group has also begun to reach a capacity to train other organizations. "It is seen that the Houthis have started to provide al-Shabaab in Somalia with training on the use of some equipment," Zube said.

The minister added that the Houthis use all of Yemen's resources and capabilities to arm themselves and build up their military power, and that the strength they derive from the country's resources is used against Yemenis, neighboring states and the world.

Siege of Taiz

Zube also addressed the siege of Taiz, a province in the southwest that has been partially encircled by the Houthis since 2015 and where attacks have intensified since last month. "Taiz is a densely populated province at the heart of Yemen. Around 4 million people live across the province. The Houthis have been trying to put Taiz under siege for 12 years but have not succeeded. Taiz became a city that resisted the Houthis," Zube said.

The minister said the Houthis continue to bomb the city and its neighborhoods, and that the blockade prevents civilians in Taiz from accessing water, food, medicine and fuel. Zube said strong resistance against the Iran-backed Houthis is present in Taiz, and that it has taught the group a lesson of determination and resilience in recent weeks, showing that the population rejects the militia's pressure and practices.

Meeting with Turkish counterpart

Zube praised the strong historical ties between Türkiye and Yemen, describing Türkiye as a highly important, strategic and central country in the region and voicing appreciation for the roles Türkiye plays there.

"We believe Türkiye has an important role in preserving the security and stability of the region," Zube said, adding that the political and diplomatic efforts Türkiye carries out and leads are welcomed. During a meeting with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Zube said the Yemeni position and the escalation in Houthi attacks were explained.

According to Zube, Fidan expressed support for Yemen and its government and voiced Türkiye's sincere desire for security and stability to be achieved in the country.

Background of the conflict

Yemen has been in a civil war since the Iran-backed Houthis seized the capital Sana'a and several provinces in September 2014. The Saudi Arabia-led Arab Coalition has supported the internationally recognized Yemeni government since March 2015.

Fighting between government forces and the Houthis has increased recently, while the Iran-backed group has targeted Saudi Arabia with ballistic missiles and drones, holding the kingdom responsible for attacks against it.

Key takeaways

• Yemeni Foreign Minister Afrah ez-Zube said the Houthis are trying to turn Yemen into a platform that threatens the region and the world.
• Operation Yemen Dawn, announced on October 5, 2026 by Presidential Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi, aims to free Yemen from Houthi control and restore state authority.
• Zube said peace requires disarmament, rebuilding state institutions and turning the Houthis into a political component within Yemen's structure.
• Zube accused the Houthis of using negotiation rounds to rearm, of training al-Shabaab in Somalia and of besieging Taiz for 12 years.