Yemen's Leader Calls for Enlistment and Amnesty After Red Sea Coast Loss
Rashad al-Alimi, chair of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, urged the public to mobilize and join the Saudi-backed armed forces and promised amnesty to any Houthi fighter who defects, in a recorded speech broadcast on Friday. He named the goal of the internationally recognized government as regaining control of Sanaa. Al Jazeera
It was his first address since government forces were driven from the western Red Sea coast by the Houthis. The enlistment call was aimed at countering Houthi advances toward the Bab al-Mandeb strait, the narrow passage between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Al Jazeera
The Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014. The promised amnesty, or legal forgiveness for switching sides, will be issued later under constitutional and legal procedures, according to a Sept. 25 account of his remarks. Anadolu Agency Al-Alimi had previously urged Houthi forces to lay down their weapons and disarm amid renewed military escalation. Arab News
On the other side, Houthi officials Qahim, Atifi and Al-Masawi opened the main coastal road linking Taiz and Hodeidah. Field Marshal Mahdi Al-Mashat, President of the rival Supreme Political Council, was scheduled to speak at 8 p.m. on Friday for the 64th anniversary of the 26 September Revolution. On 25 September 2026, Yemen's Minister of Defense and Chief of Staff sent congratulations to Al-Mashat on the anniversary, and sent separate congratulations to fighters on the fronts on the same occasion.
The fighting has extended beyond Yemen's borders. Yemen's Houthi group said on September 19 it carried out two military operations targeting Saudi Arabia. Reuters The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said its air defences intercepted one Houthi ballistic missile headed toward Khamis Mushait and two drones headed toward Riyadh. Al Jazeera
Al-Alimi requested U.S. support for his Saudi-backed government in the fight against the Houthis. U.S. President Donald Trump did not pledge military support against the Houthis in his call with Yemen's president. Reuters
The broader context here is a leadership trying to turn a battlefield reversal into national mobilization. It is a two-part approach, much like a team trying both to recruit new players and to persuade players on the other team to switch sides. The open call after the loss of Red Sea coast positions points to shortfalls in troops and territory, while naming Sanaa gives the campaign a clear political endpoint.
Looking at what this means for the next phase, three questions will shape whether the speech works as policy or stays as words. The first is whether the delayed legal process for amnesty gains trust among mid-level Houthi commanders. The second is whether cross-border missile and drone operations and Saudi interceptions widen the fight beyond the Bab al-Mandeb area. The third is Washington's position after a call that produced no military pledge, which leaves the Saudi-backed government to recruit at home while working within coalition airpower limits. The competing anniversary speeches show both power centers plan to claim republican legitimacy.
