Saudi Arabia is preparing for a major military offensive against the Houthis by sea and possibly by land in central Yemen, Yemeni sources said, as Riyadh seeks to relieve pressure on oil exports through the southern Red Sea. The sources said Saudi forces have been pulled back from the east of Yemen, a move they linked to preparations for a land operation. At the same time, Riyadh is trying to assemble a naval coalition to shield shipping from Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab strait. Maritime Coalition Backed by Multiple StatesSaudi Arabia’s defence ministry said on Thursday that 14 states, including Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan and Djibouti, had issued a joint statement supporting a multinational maritime defence coalition. Riyadh has also asked the United States and several European governments, including Germany, France, the UK and Italy, to take part in a Red Sea coalition. The European Union already has a naval protection mission, Aspides, operating in the region, and it was unclear whether the Houthis are mounting a broad blockade or one aimed specifically at Saudi Arabia. The Houthis, an Iran-aligned movement that controls Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, and much of its Red Sea coastline, said on 20 July that they were implementing a blockade against Saudi ships. They later denied they planned to impose tolls on all vessels. The group said it would lift its blockade if Saudi Arabia ended its blockade of Yemen, framing the dispute as a fight over Yemen’s future rather than as a direct confrontation involving Iran. Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen’s civil war in 2015, backing Yemen’s UN-recognised government against Houthi rebels. Strikes Inside Saudi Arabia and Yemen FocusHouthi forces said on 25 July they had struck “sensitive” oil transport sites inside Saudi Arabia, linking eastern province oilfields with a Red Sea export hub. Analysts and officials have warned that closing the Red Sea route to Saudi shipping, alongside a blockade of the strait of Hormuz on the other side of the Arabian peninsula, would sharply limit the kingdom’s oil exports. Before the Iran war began, up to 80% of Saudi crude exports were shipped through Hormuz. The Red Sea has since become more significant, with more than half of Saudi oil now moved overland to loading terminals at the port city of Yanbu. The widening confrontation has also involved strikes beyond Yemen. Saudi air and missile attacks on Wednesday in Iraq killed at least 20 people, according to reports, after Saudi action against Iraqi militia units that struck Saudi oil facilities. Donald Trump said the joint US-Saudi strikes were carried out with the agreement of the Iraqi government, a claim Baghdad did not confirm. Saudi defence minister Prince Khalid bin Salman held an urgent meeting with Trump and JD Vance on Wednesday to discuss next steps. Riyadh has signalled it wants to show it can defend itself and its industry, while arguing it does not seek wider escalation against Iran and that US-Iran differences can still be resolved through diplomacy. Possible Target in Al-BaydaThe Yemeni sources said troop movements inside Yemen appear to involve concentrating forces for what could be an attack on al-Bayda, a governorate in central southern Yemen. The Houthis captured al-Bayda in 2020-21. Fighting between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia has intensified over the past fortnight, with the Houthis mounting attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities. Hours after Saudi airstrikes hit Houthi-controlled sites in the port of Hodeidah, a third Saudi commercial vessel was attacked in the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have competed for control of Yemen for more than a decade, and an uneasy status quo has unravelled over the past month. Tensions could ease if Gulf states and Iran reach an agreement to reopen the strait of Hormuz, with talks between Oman and Iran continuing. Iran has demanded that all shipping enter the strait via a northern route close to Iran’s coast. Join the discussion? 31 July 2026
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