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World

Saudi Arabia plans offensive against Houthis to break Red Sea chokehold, Reuters reports

Saudi Arabia is planning an offensive against the Houthis expected in the coming weeks, led by Yemeni forces with Saudi air support, aimed at reversing the group's seizure of the Bab el-Mandeb strait, Reuters reports.

By Sarah Whitfield · · 3 min read

Saudi-led coalition armored vehicles and soldiers under a Saudi flag in the desert
Photo: Assahifa

Saudi Arabia is planning an offensive against the Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen, with options being considered including a coastal push to secure the Red Sea shipping route or an assault on multiple fronts, Reuters reported on Friday, citing regional and Western officials.

The operation would be led by Yemeni forces on the ground, overseen by Riyadh, and supported by Saudi airstrikes, according to six people with knowledge of the preparations. Estimates for the launch ranged from within a week to after the US midterm elections in early November. The United States is already providing intelligence — including targeting information for Saudi air operations — while regional and European nations are providing mainly defensive military aid; the allies are not expected to play a direct role in combat operations, the officials said. Reuters added that President Donald Trump had previously rebuffed requests by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for direct US military support such as airstrikes.

A key objective, not previously reported, is to reverse the rapid gains made by the Houthis last month, when they advanced down the coast and seized control of the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the southern exit of the Red Sea, Reuters said. Riyadh has concluded it cannot enter new Yemeni peace negotiations while the Houthis control the strait. The Saudis are weighing either a narrowly focused attack around Bab el-Mandeb or a broader offensive with synchronized attacks across Al-Bayda, Marib, Taiz and Al-Jawf governorates. More than 100,000 Yemeni troops could be mobilized, depending on the scale. Spokespeople for the Saudi and Yemeni governments, the Houthis and the US military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Reuters also reported that Pakistan sent four cargo planes with air defence systems, light artillery, drones and anti-drone systems to Aden last month, that Pakistani military advisers are on the ground with Saudi counterparts, that Turkish drones bought before the current war have been deployed over Yemen, and that 30,000 to 40,000 Pakistani troops have been deployed to Saudi Arabia for border defence and drone and missile interception — with no decision to send troops into Yemen in a fighting capacity. France has announced it will send defensive systems and troops to the Red Sea port city of Yanbu.

Separately, Axios reported that top US national security aides discussed next steps in the Iran war and the Saudi-Houthi conflict for hours at Camp David on Friday, in a meeting chaired by Vice President JD Vance and attended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, White House envoy Steve Witkoff, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen Dan Caine. The outlet said Saudi Arabia was asking Trump to join its planned offensive against the Houthis and urging him to conduct airstrikes against the group, citing three US officials.

The Houthis said on Friday that Saudi forces had launched 94 strikes against areas under their control in the past 24 hours, and on Saturday reported Saudi airstrikes in Sanaa. On October 2, a spokesperson for Yemen’s internationally recognised government said warplanes had carried out 20 strikes targeting Houthi movements, personnel, vehicles and military equipment in Taiz province.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar said Iran had suggested engaging the Houthis politically as an alternative to military action, an idea Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan will discuss at an emergency meeting in Riyadh next week, Channel News Asia reported.

Sources:

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