Sanaa, Yemen — At midnight, airstrikes shook the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, shattering a relative period of calm that had largely spared the city from bombing since a truce was established between the internationally recognized government and the Houthis in 2023. The renewed violence follows an announcement by the head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, Rashid al-Alimi, launching a military offensive titled Operation Dawn of Yemen to reclaim Sanaa from the Houthis, who have controlled the city since September 2014.

Because government ground forces remain hundreds of miles away and engaged in fierce battles on Yemen's west coast and around Taiz, efforts to target Houthi positions in the capital rely heavily on air campaigns. This strategy has already exacted a toll on civilians. An airstrike struck a location in the Sa'wan area of Sanaa governorate, killing a child and wounding seven other civilians. The Yemeni government has signaled that attacks will continue until it achieves its objective of retaking the capital, leaving residents anxious that their city will once again become an active war zone.

Memories remain fresh regarding the Saudi-led coalition's Operation Decisive Storm, which began in March 2015 and resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths from airstrikes in Sanaa. Dozens of recent strikes have hit the capital, including an attack on Sanaa's international airport that killed two workers. Local residents report that the sudden escalation has severely eroded their sense of security, with fears growing that military facilities positioned near neighborhoods, roads, or farms will put innocent lives directly in the crossfire.

At the same time, Saudi Arabia has faced ongoing cross-border threats, including missile attacks by the Houthis, such as a strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport that resulted in fatalities. The Saudi-led coalition has identified Sanaa, Saada, and Amran as primary sources of these missile launches, justifying ongoing military operations as necessary to curb the group's offensive capabilities. Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration reports that more than 200,000 people have been displaced by escalating fighting in recent weeks, primarily fleeing intense ground combat in the Taiz governorate.

In Sanaa, the renewed bombing has triggered widespread anxiety about potential displacement and economic hardship, prompting residents to rush to stock up on food, fuel, and other essentials. Store owners have increased their inventories of basic goods like rice, cooking oil, and sugar, anticipating logistics disruptions, price spikes, and potential fuel crises similar to those experienced during the 2015 conflict. Experts warn that road closures, import declines, and a naval siege on Houthi-controlled areas will severely worsen the humanitarian situation, compounding existing warnings from the UN World Food Programme that a vast majority of families in parts of Yemen are already struggling with hunger.