SAUDI ARABIA PREPARES FOR ALL-OUT WAR WITH YEMEN’S HOUTHIS
Saudi Arabia is preparing for a major military campaign against Yemen’s Ansarullah movement, according to The New York Times.
Weeks of Houthi attacks on Saudi ships, airports and oil facilities have pushed the kingdom to the brink.
Riyadh says it prefers peace. But it is ready for war.
A Saudi official said the kingdom will defend itself by all necessary means. If the Houthis escalate further, Saudi Arabia could launch airstrikes to support Yemeni government forces.
The Houthis have imposed a naval blockade on Saudi shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. They have attacked Saudi oil tankers and a Saudi Aramco refinery. They have vowed to destroy all vital Saudi targets if war breaks out.
The Houthis are not the same enemy Saudi Arabia faced in 2015. They now possess more ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones. They can strike deeper into Saudi territory.
Analysts say a complete military defeat of the Houthis is unlikely. Riyadh’s goal would be to weaken the group and force it into negotiations.
But communication channels between the two sides appear to have been destroyed. A Yemen analyst told the NYT he does not see a political way out. War is approaching.
A new conflict would open another front in the broader US confrontation with Iran.
If Saudi Arabia could not defeat the Houthis in a decade-long war, what makes this time different. And how long before the Red Sea becomes a full-blown battlefield.