The Al Jawf offensive was a Houthi offensive that began in February 2020 with clashes in the
Al Jawf Governorate
Al Jawf ( ') is a governorate of Yemen. Its capital is Al Hazm.
As of April 2020, after the Houthi forces' 2020 offensive, nearly all the governorate is under Houthi control, except for Khabb wa ash Sha'af which is under the control of Al-Q ...
during the
Second Yemeni Civil War. Houthi forces were able to decisively capture the town of
Al Hazm on 1 March 2020 from the
Hadi government.
On 27 April, the first phase of the offensive ended with the Houthis capturing 3,500 square kilometers of territory in
Al Jawf Governorate
Al Jawf ( ') is a governorate of Yemen. Its capital is Al Hazm.
As of April 2020, after the Houthi forces' 2020 offensive, nearly all the governorate is under Houthi control, except for Khabb wa ash Sha'af which is under the control of Al-Q ...
. After reinforcing, the Houthis launched the second phase of their offensive on 27 May, making further advances toward the city of
Marib
Marib (; Ancient South Arabian script, Old South Arabian: 𐩣𐩧𐩨/𐩣𐩧𐩺𐩨 ''Mryb/Mrb'') is the capital city of Marib Governorate, Yemen. It was the capital of the ancient kingdom of ''Saba’, Sabaʾ'' (), which some scholars beli ...
and capturing the Maas military base on 20 November, 2020.
The Houthis halted the offensive on 5 February 2021, in order to account for changes in the
Saudi-led coalition and
Southern Transitional Council
The Southern Transitional Council (STC; ) is a secessionist organization in southern Yemen. The 26 members of the STC include the governors of five southern governorates and two government ministers. It was formed by a faction of the Southern ...
.
After reinforcing once more, the Houthis launched a new offensive towards Marib city on 7 February.
First phase

After weeks of clashes, Houthi fighters stormed the city of Al Hazm, the capital of Al Jawf province, from different directions on 1 March 2020. A Hadi Government official told
Xinhua News Agency
Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: ),J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. It is a ...
that the Hadi forces had failed to repulse the Houthi fighters storming Al Hazm from the western and northwestern sides. The Houthi forces were deployed in different parts of the city whilst all pro-Hadi government military withdrew to
Ma'rib
Marib (; Old South Arabian: 𐩣𐩧𐩨/𐩣𐩧𐩺𐩨 ''Mryb/Mrb'') is the capital city of Marib Governorate, Yemen. It was the capital of the ancient kingdom of '' Sabaʾ'' (), which some scholars believe to be the ancient Sheba of bibl ...
city. The fighting left dozens of soldiers killed.
The Houthi movement spokesperson said that the group controlled most of the Al Jawf District with the exception of some areas close to Saudi Arabia; the areas captured by the group comprised the Khub wal Shaaf and Yatma districts. The Houthi forces then turned the offensive on the Ma'rib Governorate with the aim of attacking Ma'rib city.
On 18 March, local sources reported that the Houthi forces had expelled the Saudi-backed forces from the Atias mountain, a base at the Kufil mountain, and the Ghabira mountain, with reported clashes taking place near Talaat al-Hamra.
On 28 March, according to the Houthi media wing, Houthi fighters seized the Kofal Camp. Two days later, local sources informed that Houthi fighters captured the military base of Labnah in Labnah mountains from Saudi led coalition forces.
the capture of the military base allowed the Houthi forces to arm their aligned
Popular Committees, the aim of the offensive was to encircle the
al-Islah stronghold in oil-rich Ma'rib Province.
Ongoing battles were reported in the Kofal Camp.
On 4 April, Yemeni government forces issued a statement saying that government forces supported by Saudi-led coalition airstrikes launched an attack on the Houthi militants in the
Sirwah District
Sirwah District () is a district of the Ma'rib Governorate, Yemen
Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north ...
, Ma'rib Governorate. According to Hadi Government forces, the fighting claimed 25 Houthi militants killed and several vehicles were destroyed. On the same day, pro-Houthi media reported that the clashes resulted in the death of a senior commander and several soldiers of the government forces. According to Houthi media 80 Pro Hadi government forces were killed and wounded. The 310th Brigade Commander Gen Mohamed Kamil al-Thaifani; the Chief of operations Gen Hameed al-Maswari and the 72nd Brigade's commander Gen Khalid al-Joma'ei were confirmed dead in the fighting.
On 8 April, Saudi-led coalition spokesman
Turki Al-Maliki announced a two-week ceasefire, in part to avoid repercussions from the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Saudi vice defence minister Prince
Khalid bin Salman tweeted
A tweet (officially known as a post since 2023) is a short status update on the social networking site Twitter (officially known as X since 2023) which can include images, videos, GIFs, straw polls, hashtags, mentions, and hyperlinks. Around ...
that Saudi Arabia would contribute $500 million to the
U.N. humanitarian response plan for Yemen in 2020 and another $25 million to help combat the spread of the
coronavirus
Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the comm ...
.
On 10 April, Houthis announced the capture of the military base of Khanjar from Saudi led coalition Forces after several attacks.
On 21 April, Houthi fighters captured the al-Jufra base from Saudi led coalition forces.
Later Houthi forces concentrated their forces attacking the Mass military base and Wadi Mass. The same day Houthi media displayed a 15 min video of the capture of an
AQAP base in the Khasaf region in Al-Jawf. The footage showed a prison, explosive belts, ammunition and Al-Qaeda operational documents.
By 28 April, Houthi forces said that they managed to capture eleven of the twelve districts and 95% of the Al-Jawf province with only the eastern district of
Khab and al-Shaaf still being in Saudi-led coalition control. They controlled all of
North Yemen
North Yemen () is a term used to describe the Kingdom of Yemen (1918-1962), the Yemen Arab Republic (1962-1990), and the regimes that preceded them and exercised sovereignty over that region of Yemen. Its capital was Sanaa from 1918 to 1948 an ...
except for Marib Governorate.
Second phase
On 27 May, Houthi fighters launched two ballistic missiles on the Saudi backed forces of the Hadi government in Marib province. One missile targeted an army headquarters and another a military camp. The attack left 7 officers dead, including the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Sagheer bin Aziz's son and nephew, both officers. Bin Aziz survived the attack.
On 30 May, regional media reported the departure of American and Saudi servicemen from Marib province. One of the alleged reasons was to avoid Houthi attacks and missile strikes.
On 3 June, an
explosive device
An explosive device is a device that relies on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide a violent release of energy.
Applications of explosive devices include:
*Building implosion (demolition)
* Excavation
*Explosive forming
...
killed 9 Hadi Government soldiers and high-ranking officers, including the 81st Infantry Brigade Chief of Operations, Brigadier General Abdullah Ahmad Al Abdi and the Commander of the 2nd Battalion, Colonel Ali Omar Murad. Another Colonel was killed by another IED after going to the region to investigate. In the last weeks a total of 13 officers were killed in IED style of ambushes near the Seventh Military Region in Marib.
On 24 June 2020, media sources close to the Houthis reported the deaths of prominent commanders on Hadi Government forces including Lt. Col. Saleh Abdo Hashem al-Jamali, two Captains; Ibrahim al Akki and Adam Jarban, the Chief from the 4th Battalion, 141st Brigade. Several other soldiers were reported killed amid news of hospitals in Shabwa and Marib collapsing from battle casualties.
On 17 August 2020, forces loyal to al-Hadi launched an ill-fated counter offensive to recapture Al Jawf. The attack left 8 servicemen killed, including General Mohammed Ali-Roqn of the Army 122nd Brigade.
On 22 August 2020, Houthi affiliated media said Houthi forces captured the Mas military camp in Northwest Marib, after defeating Hadi government forces and Islah party militias.
The Mas military camp was twice unsuccessfully attacked by Houthi fighters on 4 April and 16 July, it is reportedly the main military base of Saudi Arabia-led forces in west Marib and overlooks the Saana Marib highway.
On 7 September 2020, Houthi forces made further advances on Marib Province closing into the city itself, Mohamed al-Bokhaiti a member of the Houthi movement informed in social media.
On 13 September 2020, pro-Hadi forces said that it had taken a Houthi command center in the northern province of Al-Jawf.
On 10 October 2020, pro-Hadi forces said they recaptured the strategic Al-Khanjar military camp.
On 20 November 2020, Houthi forces captured the Mas military camp
after three previous unsuccessful attacks.
The capture could allow the Houthis to take over the Raghwan and Midghal districts.
On 5 February 2021, the Houthis reportedly halted their offensive on Marib and al-Jawf in order to account for changes in the Saudi-led coalition and Southern separatists.
On 7 February 2021, the Houthis renewed their offensive from al-Jawf to
Marib governorate
Marib () is a governorate of Yemen. It is located 173 kilometers to the northeast of Yemen's capital, Sana'a. The population of Marib Governorate comprises 1.2% of the country's total population. The city of Marib is the capital of the governorat ...
.
Aftermath
On 24 March 2021, Houthi-led forces captured swathes of desert areas in
al-Jawf Al-Jawf or Al-Jouf ( ' ) may refer to:
* Al-Jawf Province, region and administrative province of Saudi Arabia
* Al Jawf Governorate, a governorate of Yemen
* Al Jawf, Libya
Al Jawf ( ') is a town in southeastern Libya, the capital of the Kufra D ...
bordering Saudi Arabia. Regional source reported by December 2021 Houthi forces controlled all areas between Al-Jawf province and the Saudi border, including Hadi Government held Khub Washa’af district.
Analysis
The capture of Al Hazm was considered by the head of the Sanaa Centre think tank as a "game-changer" for the Houthis, and could totally change the "course of the war".
The United Nations Ambassador to Yemen
Martin Griffiths
Martin Griffiths (born 3 July 1951) is a British diplomat who served as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the ...
labeled the offensive as the "most alarming military escalation" in the war.
References
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2020 in Yemen
Jawf
Jabara Valley
Jawf
Jawf
March 2020 in Yemen
Offensive, 2020