Federal troops in Ethiopia have begun an advance into the Tigray region to regain control after a new coalition of rebel groups seized key airports in Mekelle, Axum, and Shire. Fighting has flared across the Amhara and Afar regions, with reports that Eritrean forces have now entered the Afar region to join the combat. The Ethiopian army claims it killed 272 Tigrayan fighters and wounded 260 others during a counter-offensive in Amhara, where an initial rebel push toward the town of Soqota failed.

The unrest follows the collapse of a 2022 peace agreement and the formation of the Alliance for Survival, a seven-group rebel coalition including the TPLF, Fano, and the Oromo Liberation Army seeking to oust Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The federal government is backed by the UAE with drone technology and funding, while the rebel alliance is supported by Eritrea, Sudan, and Egypt. Tensions have been heightened by Ethiopia's efforts to secure direct access to the Red Sea, which Eritrean officials view as a threat to their sovereignty.