Saudis plan assault on Houthis to break Red Sea chokehold: Reuters
The plan relies on Yemeni ground forces and Saudi air strikes, with up to 100,000 troops possible and U.S. intelligence support.
- Saudi Arabia is planning an offensive against Iran-backed Houthi militants to secure the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a critical shipping route between the Mediterranean and Asia that serves as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.
- Riyadh determined it cannot pursue peace negotiations while Houthis control Bab el-Mandeb, which grants the militants significant global leverage; the assault aims to reverse rapid Houthi gains made last month.
- More than 100,000 Yemeni troops could be mobilized for the operation under Saudi air support, with planners considering either a narrow strike on Bab el-Mandeb or a broader campaign across multiple fronts in Yemen.
- While the US provides intelligence, Saudi allies are not expected to play direct combat roles; Pakistan and Turkey have supplied military equipment, and France is sending defensive systems to protect the Red Sea port city of Yanbu.
- Launch timing remains uncertain, with estimates ranging from the coming weeks to early November; analysts caution that anti-Houthi forces may lack the organization required for sustained combat against a disciplined Houthi military force.
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Saudi Arabia planning assault on Houthis to break Red Sea chokehold
Regional and Western officials said the planned operation, aimed at breaking the Houthis' control of the Bab el-Mandeb strait, would be led by Yemeni forces on the ground, directed by Riyadh and supported by Saudi air strikes
The Huthi militia in Yemen conquered the important Strait Bab el-Mandab in August. Now there are apparently plans for a counter-offensive.
As Saudi Arabia steps up war against Houthis, Pakistan set to play support role
Pakistani troops are expected to take over various defensive functions for Saudi Arabia to enable the Middle East country to fight an all-out war aimed at defeating Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. According to defence analysts, Pakistani troops are not expected to participate directly in ground offensives against the Houthis being planned by Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s squabbling government factions. Instead, their primary objective would be to …
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Im Hwa-seop = Saudi Arabia and Yemeni government forces are preparing ground and air offensives against Yemen's Houthi rebels, and within a few weeks...
The Saudi-Yemeni force will either advance along the coast to secure the Red Sea shipping lane or launch a multi-front attack.
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