Saudi Arabia is preparing a military offensive against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen, with operations expected within the coming weeks, according to officials familiar with the plans. The anticipated campaign will be led by Yemeni ground forces under Saudi supervision and supported by Saudi air strikes, sources said.
The operation aims to reverse recent Houthi advances along Yemen’s coast, including their September seizure of control over the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait. This maritime chokepoint, located at the southern exit of the Red Sea, is a critical shipping route connecting the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean and has gained increased importance in 2026 amid disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz due to conflict involving Iran.
Officials from Gulf states, Yemen, and the West have indicated that Riyadh is considering two possible courses of action: a focused assault to regain control around Bab el-Mandeb or a broader multi-front offensive targeting key governorates such as Al-Bayda, Marib, Taiz, and Al-Jawf. Depending on the scope, the operation could mobilize more than 100,000 Yemeni troops.
Saudi Arabia has been engaged in Yemen’s civil war since 2015, leading an Arab coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government against the Houthis, who control Sana’a and large swaths of northern Yemen. A 2022 truce largely kept hostilities in check until recently, when the Houthis intensified missile and drone attacks on Saudi infrastructure and shipping, escalating the conflict.
Riyadh views Houthi control of Bab el-Mandeb as a significant geopolitical leverage point that impedes efforts for a renewed peace process. Western diplomats and Gulf officials have noted that Saudi Arabia is unlikely to pursue new negotiations with the Houthis while they hold the strait.
The United States is providing intelligence and military advisory support to Saudi Arabia, including targeting information for airstrikes, while several regional and European countries supply defensive aid. However, Washington and Riyadh’s allies are not expected to engage directly in ground combat operations. Saudi Arabia’s recent joint defense pact with Turkey and Pakistan has seen these countries supply military equipment and advisory personnel; Pakistani officials confirmed deliveries of air defense systems, artillery, drones, and anti-drone technology to Yemen’s pro-government forces. Pakistani troops, numbering between 30,000 and 40,000, have been deployed to Saudi Arabia for border defense and counter-drone operations but are not participating in Yemen’s fighting.
The campaign highlights challenges Yemen’s fragmented pro-government forces face on the ground. Despite previous training and arming by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, factions remain divided, with internal clashes in 2025 weakening cohesion. Analysts note these forces are currently being tested by increasingly coordinated Houthi attacks on multiple fronts, and the effectiveness of the forthcoming offensive will depend heavily on the performance and organization of these Yemeni troops.
Saudi and Yemeni government representatives, as well as Houthi and U.S. military officials, declined to comment on the reported plans. Meanwhile, France has announced deployment of defensive assets and troops to Saudi Arabia to help protect the Red Sea port city of Yanbu amid heightened regional tensions.
The planned Saudi-led operation marks a potential escalation in a conflict already intertwined with broader Middle East dynamics, notably following Israel’s war after attacks by Hamas in October 2023 and rising tensions involving Iran’s regional proxies. Observers expect the offensive to be more limited in scope than Saudi Arabia’s initial intervention in 2015, focusing primarily on regaining control of key coastal areas to restore maritime traffic in the Red Sea.