▲ Houthi rebel fighters board a truck and move in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen.
Saudi Arabia and Yemeni government forces are preparing for a ground and air offensive against the Houthi rebels in Yemen and plan to launch it within weeks, Reuters reported on October 2, citing local sources.
Reuters reported that the plans were confirmed by six regional and Western sources, explaining that Yemeni government forces under Saudi command will lead the ground operations, supported by Saudi airstrikes.
Depending on the scale of the operation, more than 100,000 Yemeni government troops and pro-government militia fighters could be mobilized.
The core objective of the planned offensive is to reverse the rapid territorial gains made by Houthi rebels last month when they advanced along the coast and seized the Bab el-Mandeb strait, sources explained.
Saudi Arabia is considering two main attack options, according to Reuters.
One is a limited assault focused on the area surrounding Bab el-Mandeb, and the other is a multi-front offensive involving simultaneous attacks in provinces such as Al-Bayda, Marib, Taiz, and Al-Jawf.
Michael Ratney, former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, told Reuters that the offensive is expected to focus on limited areas.
He said he expects the scale of this operation to be smaller than the one Saudi Arabia launched in 2015 with the goal of ousting the Houthis.
"While Saudi Arabia would love to completely defeat the Houthis, reverting to the status quo before the Houthis seized the Bab el-Mandeb coastal area is also necessary for Saudi Arabia," he projected, adding, "Ideally, it will be a fairly limited operation to retake the coastal area and restore normal maritime traffic."
The Bab el-Mandeb strait is the southern exit of the Red Sea and a vital shipping lane connecting the Mediterranean Sea and Asia.
Its importance as an alternative route has grown as the Strait of Hormuz has effectively been closed due to the Iran war.
It remains unclear when Saudi Arabia and Yemeni government forces will launch their major offensive against the Houthis.
The timing projected by the six sources varied widely, ranging from as early as within a week from now to as late as after the U.S. midterm elections in November.
Persian Gulf regional officials said one of the key concerns for Saudi Arabia in launching a new offensive in Yemen is how to protect its oil facilities and other infrastructure from Houthi drone and missile attacks.
Saudi Arabia has reportedly asked several allies for assistance with defense systems.
According to Reuters, the United States is already providing intelligence to support Saudi airstrike operations in Yemen.
Türkiye and Pakistan, which signed a joint defense pact with Saudi Arabia last month, have provided military equipment being used by Saudi Arabia in Yemen.
Fighting and airstrikes between Saudi and Yemeni government forces and the Houthi rebels have already intensified even before the planned full-scale offensive.
According to AFP on this day, the Houthi rebels stated that at least 55 anti-government fighters were killed, while Yemeni government forces reported that 26 soldiers died.
The Houthis claimed that over the past 24 hours, Saudi forces launched 94 airstrikes and missile attacks on areas under their control.
Saudi authorities reported intercepting and destroying three ballistic missiles recently fired by the Houthis, and announced that one person was injured and buildings were damaged by debris from an intercepted missile.
They also stated that a projectile hit a school in Najran, causing material damage.
The Houthi rebels seized the Yemeni capital of Sanaa in 2014, and the Saudi-led coalition began military intervention in 2015 under the pretext of supporting the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
Although a truce was brokered by the United Nations in 2022, the recently resurging civil war in Yemen has heightened concerns over civilian casualties and disruptions to maritime transport.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.