Saudi Arabia is preparing for a possible military offensive against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, with Riyadh considering a limited operation to retake territory around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait or a broader assault on several fronts, regional and Western officials told Reuters.
The operation could begin as soon as the coming weeks and would be led by Saudi-backed Yemeni forces on the ground, supported by Saudi airstrikes, according to six people familiar with the preparations.
The officials, who include Gulf and Yemeni officials and Western diplomats, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing sensitive security matters.
The United States is providing intelligence, including targeting information, to support Saudi operations, while several regional and European countries are supplying mainly defensive military assistance. Saudi allies are not expected to take a direct combat role, the people said.
The planned offensive, which has not previously been reported, would seek to reverse recent Houthi advances along Yemen's western coast and restore access to the Bab el-Mandeb, a vital maritime chokepoint at the southern entrance to the Red Sea.
The Houthis seized control of the strait after advancing down the coast last month, giving the group greater leverage over one of the world's most important shipping corridors. The Bab el-Mandeb connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is a major route for commercial traffic between Europe and Asia.
The officials said Riyadh is considering two main options. The first would be a focused assault around Bab el-Mandeb aimed at restoring control of the coastal areas. The second would involve a much larger, coordinated campaign across several parts of Yemen, including Al-Bayda, Marib, Taiz and Al-Jawf.
More than 100,000 Yemeni troops could be mobilized depending on the scale of the operation, the officials said.
Saudi Arabia has concluded that it cannot return to peace negotiations with the Houthis while the group controls Bab el-Mandeb, according to Western diplomats and a Gulf official.
The timing remains uncertain. The six people familiar with the preparations gave estimates ranging from within a week to a launch after the U.S. midterm elections in early November.
Michael Ratney, a former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said he expected any operation to be relatively limited compared with the Saudi-led campaign launched in 2015.
He said Riyadh would have an interest in reversing the Houthis' territorial gains around Bab el-Mandeb without becoming trapped in another large-scale war.
"it would be a fairly limited operation to retake coastal areas and get back to normal maritime traffic," Ratney said.
Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen's civil war in 2015 at the head of an Arab coalition supporting the internationally recognized government after the Houthis seized Sanaa and large parts of the country.
A truce reached in 2022 largely held until this year, when the Houthis resumed attacks involving missiles and drones against Saudi-linked shipping and oil infrastructure amid the wider regional conflict involving Iran.
The Houthis have emerged as one of Iran's most powerful regional allies, particularly as Hezbollah's military capabilities in Lebanon have been weakened over the past three years.
A new Saudi offensive would open another major front in a region already engulfed in conflict since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the subsequent U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
U.S. support remains limited
Washington remains Saudi Arabia's most powerful ally and is providing military advisers and intelligence to support Saudi air operations in Yemen, according to a Western diplomat.
But the extent of U.S. involvement could remain limited. Reuters has previously reported that President Donald Trump rejected requests from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for direct U.S. military support, including airstrikes.
Türkiye and Pakistan have also provided military equipment to Saudi Arabia under a broader defense relationship between Riyadh and its allies.
Pakistan sent four cargo aircraft carrying equipment including air defense systems, light artillery, drones and counter-drone systems to Aden last month, according to a Pakistani government official.
Pakistani military advisers are also in Saudi Arabia working with Saudi counterparts to support Yemeni forces, according to Pakistani, Gulf and Western officials.
Riyadh's concerns extend beyond the battlefield. Regional officials said Saudi Arabia is particularly focused on protecting its oil facilities and other critical infrastructure from Houthi missile and drone attacks and has asked allies for additional defensive systems.
Pakistan has deployed between 30,000 and 40,000 troops to Saudi Arabia to help protect its borders and assist with missile and drone interceptions, according to a Pakistani official. The troops arrived in waves beginning last year and following the latest escalation, the official said.
Pakistan has not decided to send troops into Yemen in a combat role, the official added.
The Pakistani and Turkish defense ministries did not respond to requests for comment.
France has also announced plans to send defensive systems and troops to Saudi Arabia to help protect the Red Sea port city of Yanbu.
Yemen's anti-Houthi forces remain divided
Any Saudi-backed ground offensive would depend heavily on Yemen's fragmented anti-Houthi forces, many of which were armed and trained by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates during earlier stages of the civil war.
The groups have struggled to maintain unity, raising questions about their ability to sustain a large-scale offensive against the Houthis.
"Many anti-Houthi forces are still not organised or prepared for the kind of sustained offensive required to push back a disciplined Houthi military force," said Yemen analyst Mohammed Albasha.
The anti-Houthi camp became more divided last winter after UAE-backed southern fighters attempted to seize territory in eastern Yemen and announced plans for secession. Saudi-backed forces eventually defeated them after a series of clashes.
Ali Shihabi, a Saudi political analyst close to government thinking, said the success of any offensive would ultimately depend on the performance of the Yemeni forces leading the ground campaign.
"The priority so far has been to defend the positions on the ground and stabilize the front, but certainly they will be going on the offensive," he said. "Success greatly depends on the quality of the performance of the local forces."
Missile attacks intensify
The prospect of a new offensive comes as fighting and cross-border attacks have intensified.
The Houthis said Friday that Saudi forces had carried out 94 strikes against areas under their control during the previous 24 hours. The group claimed Saudi Arabia had conducted 1,350 strikes since the latest fighting began.
Saudi Arabia's coalition supporting Yemen's internationally recognized government said Friday that it intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles launched toward the southern Saudi city of Khamis Mushait.
The coalition said the missiles were intercepted without providing details on casualties or damage.
A day earlier, the coalition said it had intercepted two ballistic missiles over Khamis Mushait and Jazan, as well as four drones over Khamis Mushait.
Saudi Civil Defense said debris from an intercepted Houthi ballistic missile targeting residential areas fell in Khamis Mushait on Thursday, damaging several buildings and vehicles. No casualties were reported.
Khamis Mushait has been repeatedly targeted during the latest escalation. On Sept. 14, the Houthis claimed a large-scale attack involving dozens of ballistic missiles and drones against King Khalid Air Base in the city.
On Saturday, Saudi Civil Defense said shrapnel from another intercepted ballistic missile injured one person in Ahad Rafidah governorate in the Asir region, according to Saudi state media. The missile was fired Friday by the Iran-aligned Houthis, it said.