Despite military might, Saudi struggles to crush the Houthis
Saudi Arabia has deep pockets and cutting-edge weapons yet for more than a decade it has been unable to quash Yemen's battle-hardened Houthis. The Iran-backed group has now attacked Riyadh with a missile strike, seized Yemen's entire Red Sea coast and is blockading Saudi oil exports, seemingly unimpeded. Experts say Saudi Arabia has struggled to rebuff the group in part due to its reliance on…
Saudi Arabia has struggled to defeat Yemen's Houthi rebels despite its military might and financial resources. The Iran-backed group has made significant gains, including seizing Yemen's entire Red Sea coast and launching a missile strike on Riyadh. According to Al-Monitor, experts say Saudi Arabia's reliance on certain tactics has contributed to its struggles against the Houthis.
The conflict has resulted in civilian casualties, with Saudi-led coalition airstrikes on the port city of Mokha killing at least six people, including two children and a woman, and wounding eight others, as reported by Saba, a Houthi-affiliated news agency. The Houthi movement's recent offensive has left the Saudi-backed government scrambling to respond.
The head of Yemen's governing body, Rashad al-Alimi, has sought American support against the Houthis, holding a call with US President Donald Trump. According to US media, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has also urged Trump to strike the Houthis. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has agreed to provide military support to Saudi Arabia, including defensive air-to-air refuelling for Saudi jets, as reported by the New Straits Times.
Brief written by urgent.news from Al-Monitor, RTE News, Free Malaysia Today, New Straits Times — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
