Saudi Arabia vs Houthis: Riyadh is escalating airstrikes while Saudi-backed Yemeni forces seek to reverse Houthi territorial gains.
Saudi air superiority has not eliminated the threat from drones and missiles targeting airports and energy infrastructure.
Israel’s possible involvement remains unconfirmed, but direct intervention could widen the conflict and complicate Saudi Arabia’s regional strategy.
Saudi Arabia is turning the war against Yemen’s Houthis into a campaign of military pressure, economic disruption and political realignment. Riyadh’s airstrikes are hitting fuel infrastructure and suspected command positions, while Saudi-backed Yemeni forces report advances on several fronts.
Yet the battlefield remains contested: the Houthis are still pressing towards Taiz and have shown that missiles and drones can carry the conflict deep into the kingdom.
The campaign, Operation Dawn of Yemen, began after Houthi forces made gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
Government forces say they have seized strategic heights around Maas camp in Marib and positions north of Harib. Fighting has intensified near the western coast, where control of routes overlooking the strait could shape the war’s next phase.
Saudi-Houthi Escalation: Can Saudi Arabia Build a New Regional Security Order?
Riyadh’s latest strikes signal a shift from containing the rebels to weakening the systems that sustain their campaign. On Tuesday, the Saudi-led coalition attacked the Al-Sabaha central oil station near Sana’a and fuel facilities in Hodeidah and Dhamar, after warning civilians to leave.
It also reported strikes on a suspected Houthi leadership hideout near Saada. The coalition says the targets support the Houthis’ war effort; Yemen’s Houthi-run oil company said the Sana’a facility had no fuel stocks at the time.
The strategy is a form of hybrid warfare: air power, pressure on fuel and logistics, support for local ground forces, and efforts to disrupt Houthi threats to shipping and Saudi infrastructure.
But attacks on energy sites carry risks. If facilities serve civilians, their destruction can deepen shortages without producing a comparable military advantage. The Houthis can exploit civilian suffering to recruit support and portray the campaign as collective punishment.
Saudi Arabia strikes oil depots in Yemen and says missiles launched toward location of Saudi Aramco HQ
Saudi Arabia’s air superiority is an advantage, but not a guarantee of victory. The Houthis have adapted, using smaller, lower-flying drones and missiles that can be harder to detect. The attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, reported to have killed 13 people and wounded hundreds, exposed the economic costs of breaching Saudi defences.
On Tuesday, Saudi authorities said missiles had been intercepted near Dhahran, where an attack also caused a limited fire at an administrative building in the Saudi Aramco complex.
The ground campaign is complicated by divisions among anti-Houthi forces. Government-aligned units and southern formations have different political goals, while the Southern Transitional Council advocates eventual southern independence.
Saudi Arabia needs a coalition able to hold retaken territory, not simply forces capable of advancing under air cover. Without a political arrangement, battlefield gains could prove temporary or trigger renewed internal conflict.
Israel has previously struck Houthi-controlled infrastructure after attacks against Israeli territory, so renewed action is possible. But an open Israeli role could widen the war, invite retaliation against Israeli or allied targets, and strengthen the Houthis’ claim that Yemen faces a US-Israeli-Saudi front. Intelligence sharing or quiet coordination would be less visible than airstrikes and may be more acceptable to Riyadh.
For now, Saudi Arabia is applying pressure on several fronts and gaining some ground through its Yemeni partners. A strategic victory, however, will depend on more than destroyed depots and captured hills. Riyadh must protect its cities and energy assets, keep shipping routes open, prevent local allies from fragmenting and avoid turning a national conflict into a regional war. The Houthis have been hurt, not defeated. The next test is whether Saudi Arabia can convert military momentum into durable security without widening the conflict it set out to contain.