Houthi forces struck a merchant vessel with a missile, killing crew, as Saudi
Arabia has massed ground forces and is assessing a large-scale counteroffensive
to retake Houthi-held Red Sea coastline. The Houthis, who have controlled
Yemen’s capital and northern areas since 2014, now hold Red Sea positions facing
Saudi territory and possess weapons that can directly threaten the Saudi
mainland; on Aug. 9 they claimed a drone attack on Aramco’s Jazan refinery.
Yanbu is a major Saudi export terminal, shipping about 4 mln bpd of crude.
Riyadh has already led formation of a maritime defense coalition and deployed
forces but analysts point to poor Saudi performance in the 2014–22 Yemen
campaign, the failed 2018 Hodeidah assault and a this-year rift with the UAE,
all of which complicate prospects for a successful ground offensive.
