Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

Saudi Arabia cannot find a way out of Yemen

Saudi Arabia cannot find a way out of Yemen

The Saudi-led coalition’s withdrawal from a key port underscores its struggles
DURING THE Korean war an American general quipped that his beleaguered troops were not retreating, just “advancing in a different direction”. So too it was for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, which in mid-November withdrew its forces from Hodeida, the main port on the country’s Red Sea coast. The Houthis, a group of Shia rebels who have been fighting the coalition since 2015, swept in to seize it.

The pull-out was a surprise to almost everyone, even the UN observers deployed to monitor a ceasefire in the area since 2018. “[This] represents a major shift of the front lines”, the observer mission noted, a remarkable exercise in understatement.

In the coalition’s telling, withdrawal was a strategic choice (probably influenced by the United Arab Emirates, a coalition partner that backs the local fighters). The old ceasefire deal, signed in Stockholm, was meant as a first step towards a broader peace between the Houthis and the internationally recognised government. Instead, it locked in the status quo. The combatants never withdrew from Hodeida, as required, and while the truce did reduce violence, it was routinely violated. With a stalemate on the ground, coalition troops were perhaps better deployed elsewhere.

Hodeida was once a priority for the coalition. Today, though, it is almost a sideshow to the bigger fight happening 260km (162 miles) to the north-east, in Marib. Once a relative oasis of peace, the city, controlled by the coalition, hosts some 1m internally displaced people. Northern Yemen’s sole oil refinery is there; so is a highway that connects Yemen to Saudi Arabia. Seizing Marib would be a victory both symbolic and strategic—and the Houthis increasingly seem to have the upper hand.

Since the rebels escalated their push for Marib in February, both sides have settled into a long war of attrition. Coalition forces have dug into the hills that ring the city, backed by Saudi jets roaring overhead. Pro-Saudi media run frequent stories about air strikes that kill scores of Houthis.

The group does not deny the cost: the Houthi-controlled defence ministry says that 14,700 of its fighters have been killed in Marib just since June. Many were no doubt conscripts, including children, pressed into service and pushed forward in “human-wave” attacks that have worn down the city’s defences. The UN says more than 40,000 people have been displaced in Marib over the past two months.

The fighting has added to Yemen’s misery. Some 80% of its 30m people need aid to survive; more than 2m young children are severely malnourished. The rial, Yemen’s currency, has hit record lows several times this year in government-controlled areas, leaving many families unable to afford food and other essentials.

Tim Lenderking, the American special envoy for Yemen, travelled to the region for talks in November. He has little to show for a dozen such trips this year. The UN representative has fared no better. Blame for the diplomatic impasse lies largely with the Houthis, who think they are winning and see little reason to negotiate.

The Saudis, by contrast, are growing desperate to end the war, if only for self-interested reasons. A conflict sold to the public in 2015 as a quick romp has instead become a quagmire, one that has cost the kingdom untold billions and damaged relations with key partners, particularly America. It has also invited frequent drone and missile attacks by the Houthis. The coalition says it intercepts 90% of attacks (a figure that is hard to verify). Still, a few have hit airports and other vital infrastructure. The Saudis are moving to shore up their border defences in expectation of more Houthi advances in Marib.

With American and UN-led talks faltering, the Saudis have begun negotiating with arch-rival Iran, which has supported the Houthis with arms and cash. The two regional powers held low-level talks earlier this year. Yet the Saudis have little to offer Iran, which is happy to see its foe bleed.

Even if Iran wanted to help, it probably does not have enough control over the Houthis to force them to strike a deal. The Saudis are eager to cut their losses, but they cannot find a way to do so.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
×