// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Yemen's government announces all-out war to reclaim land from Houthis
Soldiers ride in the back of a pick-up truck on a dirt road near Taiz, amid fighting between Yemeni government forces and Houthis
The head of Yemen's internationally recognised government has announced it will wage an all out war in an effort to take all territory held by the Houthis.
It follows an exchange of strikes between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition in recent days.
The Iran-backed group said it had struck sites belonging to Saudi national oil company Aramco, in response to what it described as 50 Saudi-led coalition strikes in 12 hours. Saudi Arabia has yet to comment.
The Yemeni government's fierce statement was expected after the Houthis' offensive last month, which saw them seize control of the country's coastline, including the vital shipping lane of the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Flames burn at a facility belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco south of Riyadh on 3 October
On Sunday, Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi said in a televised address: "Today, I announce the start of military operations to retake the remaining territory of the republic and extend the authority of the state and its institutions across the entire national territory."
Yemen's capital, Sanaa, which has been held by the Houthis for more than a decade, has come under sustained attack as government forces try to weaken the group's military capabilities.
Attacks on the Houthis have also spread across Yemen, including to the Saada region, the group's northern heartland.
Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi addresses the nation in a televised address in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia