Saudis plan assault on Houthis to break Red Sea chokehold

Saudi Arabia is planning an offensive against Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen, with options including a coastal push to secure the Red Sea shipping route or an assault on multiple fronts, regional and Western officials have told Reuters.

The operation, expected to launch in the coming weeks, would be led by Yemeni forces on the ground overseen by Riyadh and supported by Saudi air strikes, according to six people with knowledge of the preparations.

A key objective is to reverse the Houthis’ gains last month, when they seized the Bab el-Mandeb strait — the Red Sea’s southern exit, now an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran conflict.

The Saudis are weighing a narrow attack around Bab el-Mandeb against a broader offensive across the Al-Bayda, Marib, Taiz and Al-Jawf governorates — more than 100,000 Yemeni troops could be mobilised depending on scale. Launch estimates run from within a week to after November’s US midterms.

The US is providing military advisers, intelligence and targeting information, but President Donald Trump has rebuffed Mohammed bin Salman’s requests for direct military support such as air strikes, Reuters reported. Turkey and Pakistan — which signed a joint defence agreement with Riyadh last month — have supplied equipment: Pakistan sent four cargo planes with air defences, artillery and drones to Aden, and has deployed 30,000 to 40,000 troops to Saudi Arabia, though not to fight in Yemen.

Saudi and Yemeni officials, the Houthis and the US military did not respond to requests for comment.

Sources:

• Reuters — “Saudis plan assault on Houthis to break Red Sea chokehold” (Timour Azhari, Mubasher Bukhari, Oct 2, 2026)
• The Times of Israel — “Saudis planning offensive against Houthis to reverse Red Sea gains”
• The Jerusalem Post — “Saudi Arabia planning operation to push back Houthis’ Red Sea chokehold”