Yemen's military and a Saudi-led coalition launched an offensive against Iran-backed Houthi fighters on Monday, a day after Yemeni Presidential Council chief Rashad al-Alimi announced the lofty goal of retaking all territory held by the Iran-backed rebel group.

The Yemeni military said Monday operations were commencing in the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, while the Saudi-led coalition said it had hit Houthi "military targets" in the town of Hodeida on the Red Sea coast.

A coalition spokesman on X said that naval forces had "destroyed weapons depots, facilities storing booby-trapped boats and naval mines" and had "thwarted a planned attack" targeting waterways in the southern Red Sea.

Yemeni officials said forces allied with the internationally recognized government retook the crucial town of Dhubab just north of strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Sunday's announcement came after Houthi fighters captured a key road linking the key southwestern city of Taiz with the government-held city of Aden, effectively isolating Taiz. The rebels have besieged Taiz for more than a decade.

More than 70 people were reportedly killed in fighting around Taiz over the past day, according to AFP news agency.

Houthi's claim new strikes on Riyadh
Meanwhile, a Houthi military spokesman said Monday that ballistic missiles and drones targeted King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and an oil refinery in the Red Sea city of Rabigh.

The spokesman said the Aramco refinery in Rabigh was also hit along with military sites and smaller airports in the south.

There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities on the reported strikes.

Mecca alliance to deploy forces
In response to the latest escalation, Turkey, and Pakistan agreed on Monday to deploy troops as part of the collective defense agreement under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement the two countries signed in August with Saudi Arabia.

The move came after an emergency meeting in Riyadh.

In a joint statement, the trio "reaffirmed their unequivocal rejection of any attack or threat against the Kingdom's security and territorial integrity."

The statement did not specify what sort of role the troops would fill once in Saudi Arabia.

The three countries condemned the Houthis' targeting of Saudi Arabia's two holiest cities, Mecca and Medina, as well as agreeing to provide the "agreed military forces and capabilities," which will be deployed in Saudi Arabia.

How did the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Houthis escalate?
The latest developments come amid an escalation between the Houthis and the internationally recognized government in Yemen that is supported by Saudi Arabia, reviving Yemen's civil war after a four-year ceasefire.

A 2022 truce between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia collapsed in July after the rebels allowed an Iranian plane to land in Yemen's capital Sanaa, which defied the Saudis' control over Yemeni airspace.

As a result of the escalation, the Houthis announced a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia.

Last month, the Houthis seized Yemen's Red Sea coast and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — a vital global shipping route — from government hands, even as Al-Alimi called for support from the international community.

At the same time, Houthi's have been launching long-range attacks at targets in Saudi Arabia.

The Iran-backed Houthis have controlled Sanaa and much of Yemen's more populous western areas since the start of Yemen's civil war in 2014.