The last 48 hours in Yemen have seen movement and clashes on numerous frontlines as the Yemen government seeks to push the Houthis back and weaken the Iranian-backed group. Meanwhile, the Houthis have attacked Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has backed the Yemen government for more than a decade in its struggle against the Houthis. After years of fighting, there has been a kind of ceasefire since 2022. However, tensions have recently flared up again.
According to the Major General Turki Al-Maliki, the official spokesman for the "Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen" forces, the Houthis have escalated their attacks. They made a number of attempts to “target Saudi Arabia, its national assets, its citizens, and residents on its territory is a dangerous escalation,” reports said.
The Saudi Press Agency noted that Maliki had said that “the reckless terrorist attacks by the Houthi militias, the latest of which targeted civilian and economic sites in the cities of (Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, Najran), resulted in the injury of (73) civilians, including women and children.”
It is clear that Riyadh will respond. This "constitutes a blatant violation of the Kingdom's sovereignty and a direct threat to the security and safety of its citizens and residents on its territory,” Maliki said.
Yemeni forces advance backed by Saudi Arabia
Over the last day, there have been numerous reports about advances in Yemen by government forces. Backed by Saudi Arabia, they want to try to liberate areas from the Houthis. The Houthis are dug in throughout the hill country of Yemen, essentially dominating the middle of the country’s western region.
The coalition general noted that "these heinous and unjustified attacks committed by the terrorist Houthi militias deliberately harm Saudi Arabia's national assets, facilities, and civilian objects, and confirm their extremist criminal behavior that rejects achieving peace and stability in Yemen and its Arab and Islamic neighbors."
He affirmed that "the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition will take all necessary operational measures to deter these terrorist militias and confront their hostile approach with all firmness, in defense of the Kingdom's sovereignty, preservation of its national capabilities, and protection of the safety of its citizens and residents on its territory."
The Houthi attacks were widely reported in Arabic media in the Gulf. Media in Saudi Arabia also reported on the casualties from the attacks. “Houthi attacks have left more than 70 people injured, including women and children, in various towns and cities across Saudi Arabia, a military spokesman said on Tuesday, adding that the Kingdom would take measures to counter the group,” Arab News noted.
The next moves will be up to Saudi Arabia and the Yemen government. Riyadh has been the major leader of the coalition against the Houthis since it intervened in Yemen in 2015. Over the years, some other members of the coalition have sought to shift their policies. The UAE, for instance, had some tensions with Riyadh last year over the UAE’s backing of the Aden-based Southern Transitional Council.
The challenge in Yemen is that the various forces fighting the Houthis are divided geographically. Some forces are near Saudi Arabia in Jawf. There are others fighting near Taiz. Because the Houthis control a huge central, mountainous area, the coalition members are divided along various frontlines. With internal lines, the Houthis can easily shift forces from one sector to another. This creates a complex military challenge. It remains to be seen if Riyadh can accomplish today what it has been unable to do since 2015.