Regional Conflict: Saudi Arabia Organizes International Land and Sea Coalition Against Yemeni Forces
The war initiated by Trump and Netanyahu is on the verge of escalating into a full-scale regional conflict involving other nations and a vast militia network.
The war initiated by Trump and Netanyahu is on the verge of escalating into a full-scale regional conflict involving other nations and a vast militia network.
Following Saudi airstrikes on Sana’a Airport in mid-July, Yemen retaliated with direct strikes against Abha Airport in southern Saudi Arabia. Additionally, Yemeni forces imposed a naval blockade on Saudi shipping, successfully hitting three vessels attempting to break through: the Saudi tankers Encelia and Layla, and the chemical tanker NCC Ghazal.
Yemeni forces also launched ballistic missiles and drones targeting Aramco refineries at the port of Jizan, as well as refining facilities in Yanbu on the Red Sea coast. Furthermore, drone strikes struck the East-West Pipeline, damaging the crude oil transport infrastructure that cuts across Saudi territory to Yanbu, a pipeline responsible for moving approximately 5 million barrels of oil per day.
In response, the Saudis launched heavy bombardments against radar positions, telecommunications centers, and military bunkers in the coastal province of Hodeidah and neighboring Kamaran Island, areas used by the Houthis to monitor and launch missiles at shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Riyadh also targeted missile bases in Marib and Al-Jawf, while utilizing local militias to strike Houthi artillery positions on the Harib land front.
The entire Yemeni campaign operates under Tehran’s influence, as Iran seeks to pressure Saudi oil exports passing through the Red Sea.
Because the Houthis are not Iran’s only regional allies, the PMF, a militia umbrella group comprising over 200,000 combatants, likely directed by the IRGC, also opened fire on Saudi positions in late July. This triggered a joint US-Saudi retaliatory bombing campaign against PMF facilities, leaving over 20 fighters dead and more than 30 wounded. The PMF has vowed revenge, and hours after the attack, Iran launched missiles against American bases in Jordan.
The current geopolitical landscape is now firmly set: Iranian allies, coordinated by the IRGC, are locked in a direct conflict with the United States and Saudi Arabia.
This confrontation is poised to expand significantly. Saudi Arabia is expected to announce an international coalition next week to forcibly reopen the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, an move that will inevitably require military force, as Yemeni forces refuse to back down.
According to leaks obtained by Al-Monitor, key Red Sea coastal states forming the African side of the strait: Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti, and Somalia, have already agreed to participate. The Saudis have also invited France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, all of which already have warships in the region and are awaiting Washington’s green light. GCC members were invited as well, with the exception of the UAE, bringing the total list of potential coalition members to around 50 nations.
However, the Saudi strategy extends beyond the sea. Riyadh has aggressively mobilized its proxy militias within Yemen by significantly increasing salaries, recruitment, weaponry, and equipment. This ground force relies on Dir Al-Watan, with 20,000 to 30,000 men; 15,000 fighters from the Hadhramaut Tribal Alliance, and tens of thousands of former UAE-financed combatants who have now switched allegiance to Riyadh.