Illustrative image. (U.S. Air Force photo by William R. Lewis)
Saudi Arabia is gearing up for a major offensive against the Houthis (Ansar Allah) in Yemen, by sea and possibly including a ground operation, The Guardian reported on July 30.
According to the report, which cited Yemeni sources, Saudi forces have been seen withdrawing from the east of Yemen, in what could indicate preparation for a ground operation.
The report came right after the Saudi defense ministry issued a joint statement with 13 other countries announcing a maritime defense alliance to secure navigation around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The waterway — a narrow 20-nautical-mile chokepoint between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula — funnels an estimated 10 percent of the world’s seaborne oil trade and vital container shipping between Asia and Europe, making it one of the planet’s most strategically vital, and volatile, maritime corridors.
The Saudi-led alliance includes Bahrain, Bangladesh, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey and Yemen. The Saudis have also asked the United States, as well as several European countries, to join the alliance.
The escalation between the two sides began on July 20, when the Houthis announced a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, framing it as retaliation for the kingdom’s siege on Yemen. Three days later, the group fired on two Saudi oil tankers, setting one ablaze.
Overnight into July 25, the two sides traded strikes, with the Houthis hitting a major refinery in Jizan province in southern Saudi Arabia.
Later on July 27, the Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack on the Abqaiq oil processing plant in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province — though Riyadh instead pointed the finger at Iran-backed factions operating out of Iraq. A second attack struck the same province the following day. The Houthis did not claim responsibility for it, but they did announce a separate attack on another tanker off the kingdom’s Red Sea coast.
The Guardian’s latest report indicates that any ground operation against the Houthis will not be led by the Saudi military, but rather by Yemeni government forces backed by the kingdom. These forces battled the Houthis for years before the United Nations brokered a ceasefire around six years ago, and even with air support from the Saudi-led coalition, they lost nearly all of their battles.
A new ground operation will likely end up playing in favor of the Houthis, who are far more experienced and ideological. The operation could also provoke a retaliatory campaign against Saudi Arabia, involving strikes not just from Yemen, but also possibly from Iraq and Iran itself.
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the house of saud will fail.
houthi reign the arabian peninsula
a monarquia dos al saud acha que pode🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
the houthis days are numbered