Saudi Arabia Under Pressure As Houthi Threat Grows Near Red Sea
The Iran-backed rebels’ gains and cross-border attacks are forcing Riyadh to weigh escalation, diplomacy and restraint, analysts said.
- The Iran-backed Houthis have rapidly advanced in Yemen, capturing strategic territory including Perim Island and Mocha, leaving Saudi Arabia with few options to respond as experts warn all potential retaliatory actions carry heavy costs.
- Nasr al-Din Amer, head of the Houthi-run state news agency Saba, told CNN on Friday that the group intends to continue pressuring Saudi Arabia until they "break the siege unjustly imposed by the Saudi enemy for 12 years."
- Despite pressure to strike, President Donald Trump declined a request from the Saudi crown prince on Thursday, though the US has sent around 100 military advisers to provide intelligence for the kingdom's military campaign.
- Mohammed Al-Basha, an expert on Yemen and Washington, DC-based risk adviser, told CNN that all signs "point to a large-scale Saudi retaliation, and that likelihood is increasing by the day."
- With some 22 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, experts warn an all-out war could drag in Iran, turning the fighting into a chapter of the broader US-Iran conflict.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Why Saudi Arabia has few options in its conflict with the Huthis
The Iran-backed Huthis’ swift advance in Yemen and attacks on Saudi Arabia have left the Gulf Arab kingdom with few options to respond, all of which carry heavy costs. The key message emanating from the kingdom is that Riyadh does not want an all-out war, experts say, but the Huthis’ emboldened behavior may nonetheless drag …
Yemen’s Houthis claimed further attacks on Saudi Arabia, especially against a Saudi military base, while denouncing bombings in the north of Yemeni territory. In recent days, the rebel group advanced towards the strategic Strait of Bab el-Mandeb, in the Red Sea. Why can’t the Saudi kingdom stop the Houthis despite their million-dollar investment in armaments? Sonia Andolz, an expert in geopolitics in the Middle East, explains.
The rapid advance of the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen and their attacks on Saudi Arabia have left Riyadh facing a difficult dilemma: respond militarily and risk a full-scale war, or avoid escalation and allow the adversary to gain strength. Experts say the main message being conveyed by Saudi Arabia is that the kingdom does not want an all-out war. However, the Houthis’ increasingly aggressive behavior could drag Riyadh into a much broader co…
Analysis by Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN The rapid advance of the Houthis—backed by Iran—in Yemen and its attacks on Saudi Arabia have left the Arab kingdom of the Persian Gulf with little choice of response, all at a high cost. The key message emanating from the kingdom is that Riyadh does not want a war
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