Saudi-Backed PLC Forces Capture al-Libnat Base in Yemen’s al-Jawf After 72-Hour Siege
Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council forces seized the al-Libnat military camp east of al-Hazm in Yemen’s al-Jawf region after more than 72 hours of siege, their most significant gain in the current phase of the war against Iran-affiliated Ansarullah.
A long-static front in Yemen has shifted. Saudi-backed forces aligned with the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) have captured the al-Libnat military camp in al-Jawf after besieging it for more than three days, marking their most significant advance in the current phase of the conflict.
The base, just east of the city of al-Hazm, had been held by Iran-affiliated Ansarullah — widely known as the Houthis — for 11 years. Its loss after a 72-hour encirclement is a rare rollback of Houthi positions in the north and raises the stakes around al-Hazm, the provincial capital. There is no immediate casualty toll, and neither side has released detailed numbers, but both the location and the length of Houthi control make the capture more than a local skirmish.
Al-Libnat sits on one of the approaches to al-Hazm and has served as a Houthi military hub in al-Jawf. Its fall weakens the defensive belt that has shielded Houthi-held urban areas from PLC advances and could open room for further moves if the PLC can hold the camp and bring in supplies.
For civilians in al-Jawf, the shift means a new risk of shelling, displacement and disrupted access. Villages around al-Libnat that lived for years in the shadow of entrenched Houthi positions now face the possibility of renewed front-line fighting and control of checkpoints changing hands. Every adjustment of the line also complicates humanitarian access for food, fuel and medical aid.
The timing is sensitive. Houthi forces say Saudi-backed units have recently launched dozens of airstrikes across four provinces, part of what they describe as a stepped-up campaign. The United Nations has warned that intensified hostilities are once again devastating communities already struggling after more than a decade of war in Yemen.
The al-Libnat advance also tests understandings that had helped limit, but not end, large-scale ground fighting. Saudi Arabia has tried to reduce its direct military role while backing the PLC politically and financially. A visible PLC gain at Houthi expense may be welcomed in Riyadh as evidence that its allies can still change the map, but it also risks prompting Houthi retaliation, including cross-border fire on Saudi territory or attacks on energy assets.
For the Houthis, losing a base held for 11 years is both a battlefield and symbolic setback. For the PLC, the bigger test is what comes next: whether al-Libnat becomes a stable foothold that supports more secure lines and eventually talks, or simply another position that changes hands again.
The next signals to watch are whether PLC forces push west toward al-Hazm or pause to consolidate around al-Libnat, how quickly Houthi units attempt counterattacks or retaliatory strikes in other areas, and whether international mediators can use the new frontline reality to press for renewed negotiations before fighting widens further.
Sources
- OSINT