The Yemeni government, struggling against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, has issued a general mobilization order urging its citizens to enlist.

Rashad al-Alimi, President of the Presidential Leadership Council of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, urged citizens to join the general mobilization and enlist in the government forces in a national address on the 25th (local time).

President al-Alimi, currently staying in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, also announced conciliatory measures targeting defectors from the rebel forces.

"Starting on the 26th, we will grant a full pardon to Houthi rebel fighters and officials who leave their organizations and defect to the government side," he stated.

This move by the Yemeni government is seen as a response to the rapidly worsening military situation recently.

Government forces have recently lost major strongholds one after another, pushed back by the Houthi rebels' offensive.

In particular, the Houthi rebels have demonstrated their strength by seizing major coastal cities and island regions near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital chokepoint connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

As the Houthi rebels have taken control of the strait area, the Yemeni government forces' military standing has significantly narrowed, and direct disruptions are also affecting maritime operations by allied nations, including Saudi Arabia, as well as global energy supply chains.

(Photo: Yonhap News)