Saudi Arabia Plans Major Offensive to Break Houthi Red Sea Chokehold
Saudi Arabia is preparing a large-scale military offensive mobilizing over 100,000 Yemeni troops and heavy airstrikes to break the Houthis’ grip on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and reopen vital Red Sea shipping lanes.
Saudi Arabia is preparing a major military offensive aimed at dislodging Iran-backed Houthi forces from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and restoring security across critical Red Sea maritime corridors, regional and Western officials confirmed on Friday. The impending campaign, expected to be launched within the coming weeks, would be executed on the ground by Yemeni government and allied formations under Saudi operational command, heavily reinforced by Royal Saudi Air Force combat air patrols and precision strike wings. Depending on the final operational scope, planners indicate that upwards of 100,000 Yemeni troops could be mobilized across multiple sectors. The offensive represents Riyadh’s direct response to the dramatic collapse of the coastal front last month, when Houthi assault brigades swept southward along the Red Sea littoral, capturing the strategic hub of Mokha and the Hanish Islands before securing ground positions directly overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. That rapid advance effectively placed one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints—connecting the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal—under direct Houthi anti-ship missile and coastal radar surveillance. With the movement exploiting its territorial control to enforce maritime blockades and launch ballistic missile and loitering munition strikes deep into Saudi territory, Riyadh has concluded that political settlement talks are unworkable while the Houthis maintain leverage over the strait. According to defense sources familiar with the planning, the Saudi military command is evaluating two primary courses of action. The first option involves a concentrated coastal offensive focused strictly on clearing Houthi strongholds around Bab el-Mandeb, pushing north from the Lahij and Taiz governorates to re-establish a defensive buffer along the coast. The second, more expansive option envisions a synchronized, multi-front campaign designed to fix and divide Houthi manpower, combining coastal thrusts with simultaneous ground pushes across the central and northern fronts in Marib, Al-Jawf, and Al-Bayda. While the ground offensive will be spearheaded by local Yemeni formations—including elements of the Nation's Shield Forces, Giants Brigades, and Republican Guards—the Saudi-led coalition is integrating extensive foreign technical and intelligence architecture. The United States is actively providing operational intelligence, maritime tracking, and satellite targeting data to support Saudi planners, while European and regional partners offer defensive assistance. However, Western and coalition allies are not expected to commit direct combat troops to frontline operations, leaving maneuver tasks to Yemeni ground echelons backed by Saudi close air support. The escalation comes amid a broader geopolitical realignment across the Arabian Peninsula. Mounting security pressures have driven a rapid diplomatic rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, whose local partners wield significant sway across southern Yemen. Furthermore, with the Strait of Hormuz facing simultaneous disruptions, the threat of an entrenched Houthi presence across the Bab el-Mandeb has made the security of maritime transit corridors a matter of existential economic urgency for Gulf monarchies and international shipping lines alike.