Forces loyal to Yemen’s official government launch a major counteroffensive against the Houthis, and announce their goal is to retake Sanaa.

Samir Al-Sabri, deputy defense minister of Yemen, said on Monday on state television: “The decision to retake Sanaa has been made.”

Fighting escalated in the governorates of Al-Bayda and Al-Jawf, the main gateway to the capital. Government forces seized the military camp of Al-Labnat in the east of Al Hazm. According to a report by Al Jazeera, Yemen’s air force targeted Houthi positions in Al-Jawf, Al-Bayda, Ma’rib, Taiz, and Al-Hudaydah.

On Monday, the World Health Organization announced that nearly 900 people have been killed or injured in the recent fighting.

The Houthis took control of Sanaa in 2014.