Saudi Arabia is preparing an offensive operation against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. Options under consideration include an advance along the coast to secure shipping in the Red Sea, or a broader assault launched simultaneously on several fronts.
This is reported by Reuters, citing Western officials.
According to the agency’s sources, the operation, which could begin in the coming weeks, would be carried out by Yemeni forces under Riyadh’s control, supported by air strikes.
The main aim of the operation is to restore positions seized by the Houthis last month. They advanced along the coast and took control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Saudi Arabia is considering two offensive options. The first envisages a limited operation in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait area. The second is a wider offensive with synchronised attacks on several axes in the Yemeni provinces of Al Bayda, Marib, Taiz and Al Jawf.
Depending on the scale of the operation, more than 100,000 Yemeni troops could be mobilised.
Bab el-Mandeb is the southern exit from the Red Sea and a vital sea route between the Mediterranean and Asia. According to Western diplomats and a representative of Gulf countries, Riyadh believes it cannot begin new peace talks with the Houthis while they control the strait.
The United States is already providing Saudi Arabia with intelligence, including targeting information, to support Saudi air operations in Yemen. At the same time, US and other allied forces are not expected to take part directly in the fighting.
Turkey and Pakistan have also supplied Saudi Arabia with military equipment used in Yemen. According to Reuters, Pakistan sent four cargo aircraft to Aden carrying air defence systems, light artillery, drones and counter-drone equipment.
A separate challenge for Riyadh is protecting oil facilities and other infrastructure from Houthi missile and drone attacks. Saudi Arabia has approached several allies for help in providing defensive systems.
The ground operation will depend on Yemeni forces made up of various factions armed and trained by Saudi Arabia and the UAE at earlier stages of the civil war.
- The Houthis have been fighting the Saudi-backed Yemeni government for more than a decade. Although the 2022 truce effectively froze the conflict, fighting has recently intensified again amid a broader confrontation involving Iran.
- In recent weeks, the Houthis have stepped up missile attacks and drone strikes on neighbouring Saudi Arabia. They announced a naval blockade and attacked Saudi facilities in an attempt to block the country’s oil exports.
- The Houthis accuse the kingdom of blockading areas of Yemen under their control. This weekend, they struck Riyadh for the first time in many years, signalling a major escalation of the conflict.
- On 26 September, the head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, called for general mobilisation in the war-torn country.