Saudi Arabia is preparing a major new military offensive in war torn Yemen aimed at reversing dramatic Houthi gains after the rebels seized a strategic Red Sea chokepoint last month.
Reuters reported the plan on Friday, citing Gulf and Yemeni officials and Western diplomats. More than 100,000 Yemeni government troops could be mobilized depending on the scale of the operation.
Hundred Thousand Troops Eyed For Push
The operation would be overseen by Riyadh and supported by Saudi airstrikes.
The United States and other Western countries providing intelligence and material support to the kingdom are not expected to take part in combat operations.
The final shape of the offensive remains under discussion among planners.
A mobilisation on that scale would mark the most serious escalation in years.
No start date for the operation has been announced.
Two Options On The Table
One option under consideration is an attack focused on recapturing the coastal area around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The strait connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, making it one of the world’s most critical shipping corridors.
The alternative is a broader offensive involving synchronized attacks on multiple fronts in Al-Bayda, Marib, Taiz and Al-Jawf.
Each path carries different risks, costs and potential rewards for the coalition.
Control of the waterway has become the central prize in the latest phase of the conflict.
A War That Never Truly Ended
Saudi Arabia first intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the internationally recognized government.
The Houthis had driven that government from the capital, Sanaa, the previous year.
Large scale fighting decreased significantly following a UN brokered truce in 2022.
Years of war have ravaged the country and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The fragile calm has now given way to open confrontation once more.
Strikes And Counterstrikes Intensify
The Houthis said on Friday that Saudi forces carried out 94 strikes on areas under their control over the previous 24 hours.
Omar al-Bukhaiti, a spokesman for the Houthi run government in Sanaa, accused the kingdom of deliberately targeting civilian sites, including schools and health facilities.
The rebels have accused Riyadh of imposing an illegal siege on Yemen.
The group earlier fired drones and missiles at Saudi Arabia, targeting energy facilities.
It denied striking a power station in Medina, one of Islam’s holiest cities, dismissing the Saudi claim as fabricated.
“lie.”
The exchange of accusations has hardened positions on both sides.
Rebels Tighten Grip On Chokepoint
The renewed fighting escalated last month as the rebels captured the strategic port of Mokha.
Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has also fallen into Houthi hands.
Those gains handed the group leverage over one of the busiest maritime passages on earth.
Mokha’s fall gave the rebels a foothold along a coastline they have long contested.
Allies Rush To Saudi Side
Britain has agreed to provide air to air refueling for Saudi warplanes.
France is sending troops, radar and air defence systems to help protect the Red Sea oil hub of Yanbu.
Pakistan has deployed 30,000 to 40,000 troops to the kingdom to help defend its borders and intercept missiles and drones, according to a Pakistani official cited by Reuters.
Islamabad has also supplied air defence systems, artillery, drones and anti drone equipment.
Pakistani military advisers are working alongside Saudi personnel supporting Yemeni forces.
Pakistan has not, however, decided to send troops into Yemen for combat operations.
Wider War Casts Long Shadow
The escalation comes amid the ongoing war between the United States and Iran.
The Strait of Hormuz remains closed to most shipping.
Talks between Washington and Tehran on ending that conflict have stalled.
Shipping companies are watching both chokepoints with growing alarm.
Any major ground offensive in Yemen risks feeding a regional fire already burning on several fronts.