Saudi Arabia is considering supporting a Yemeni ground offensive to retake parts of the Red Sea coast from the Iran-backed Houthi movement, a move that would test the forces Riyadh has spent months assembling from rival Yemeni factions.
The development comes after a Houthi attack on the commercial vessel Tihama in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait on Tuesday killed four crew members. The incident marked the first reported crew fatalities in a Houthi attack since the US-Israel war with Iran began in February.
The Houthis have controlled Yemen’s capital and much of the north since 2014 and currently hold territory along the Red Sea coast facing Saudi Arabia.
The group has also targeted Saudi interests. On August 9, the Houthis claimed responsibility for a drone attack on the Aramco refinery in Jazan, southern Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu export terminal, located farther north along the Red Sea coast, handles around 4 million barrels of crude oil per day, underscoring the strategic importance of the area.
