Al Jazeera analysis indicates that Saudi airstrikes and counter-offensives primarily focused on recapturing the city of Muha and areas south of it near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, beginning with Saudi airstrikes. This counter-offensive targeted both areas long controlled by the Houthis and those recently captured. The Houthis had anticipated a Saudi-led counter-offensive to retake these areas. Their preparedness stemmed from their expertise in covert warfare tactics and strategies, enabling them to seize territory and conceal weapons, launchers, and air defense radars. This is a problem the US and Israel have faced in the past—attempting to cripple the Houthis' military capabilities and their ability to launch ballistic missiles at Israeli vessels. Both the US and Israel failed to achieve their military objectives against the Houthis because they were able to dig deep bunkers and evade advanced US and Israeli surveillance technology, making them difficult to track. For Saudi Arabia or the internationally recognized Yemeni government to succeed, it needs to maintain a military presence in the south of the country, extending to the largest Houthi-controlled military base and the location of the largest weapons cache seized by the group on Thursday. Reclaiming these territories from the Houthis will require a large-scale military offensive, and the Yemeni government appears to be committed to this military operation in an attempt to retake its lost strategic locations.
