RIYADH, October 2, 2026 — Saudi Arabia is preparing a major offensive against Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen, with Riyadh weighing options ranging from a coastal push to secure the Red Sea shipping route to a broader assault on multiple fronts, regional and Western officials told Reuters on Friday.
The operation, which the news agency described as not previously reported, is expected to be launched in the coming weeks. It would be led by Yemeni ground forces overseen by Riyadh and supported by Saudi air strikes, according to six people with knowledge of the preparations who requested anonymity to discuss security matters.
Strait at the Centre of the Plan
A key objective of the planned offensive is to reverse rapid Houthi gains last month, when the militants advanced down the coast and seized control of the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the officials said.
Bab el-Mandeb, the southern exit passage of the Red Sea, is a critical shipping route between the Mediterranean and Asia that has assumed even greater importance this year as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed by the Iran conflict.
Riyadh has concluded it cannot enter new peace negotiations with the Houthis while the militants remain in control of the strait, giving them significant global leverage, Western diplomats and a Gulf official told Reuters.
Two Options on the Table
Saudi officials are weighing two approaches, the officials said: either a narrowly focused attack on the area around Bab el-Mandeb or a wider offensive that also includes synchronized strikes on multiple fronts across Yemen, in the governorates of 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. Precise timing could not be given, with estimates ranging from within a week to after the US midterm elections in early November.
Spokespeople for the Saudi and Yemeni governments, the Houthi group and the US military did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the plans, Reuters reported.
Washington’s Role
The United States is already providing intelligence, including targeting information, and military advisers to support Saudi air operations in Yemen, one Western diplomat said. However, President Donald Trump has rebuffed requests by the de facto Saudi ruler Mohammed bin Salman for direct military support such as air strikes, according to earlier Reuters reporting.
Turkey and Pakistan, with whom Saudi Arabia signed a joint defence agreement last month, have also provided military equipment being used by the kingdom in Yemen, Pakistani and regional officials said. Last month, Pakistan sent four cargo planes carrying equipment including air defence systems, light artillery, drones and anti-drone systems to Aden, the seat of Yemen’s Saudi-backed government.
Pakistani military advisers are on the ground alongside Saudi counterparts to support Yemeni forces, officials said, while Turkish drones purchased by Saudi Arabia before the current war have been deployed over Yemen.
Defence First
One of Riyadh’s key concerns in launching a new offensive is protecting its oil facilities and other infrastructure from Houthi drone and missile attacks, according to regional officials who said the kingdom has asked several allies for defensive help.
Pakistan has deployed between 30,000 and 40,000 troops to Saudi Arabia to help defend the kingdom’s land borders and assist with drone and missile interceptions, a Pakistani official said, adding that no decision has been made to send troops into Yemen in a fighting capacity. France has announced it will send defensive systems and troops to help protect the Red Sea port city of Yanbu.
Analysts cautioned that any ground operation would depend on the performance of Yemen’s fractured anti-Houthi forces. Former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia Michael Ratney said he expected a narrowly focused operation rather than a repeat of the 2015 campaign, adding that ideally it would be a limited effort “to retake coastal areas and get back to normal maritime traffic.”
