Yasmin el-Yani, executive director of knowledge production at a Sanaa-based
think tank, said military options against the Houthis are limited because most
fighting is taking place in hard-to-access mountainous terrain. She identified
the high ground in Kahbub as a current focal point and warned that once those
areas are fully under Houthi control expelling them would be very difficult.
Controlling elevated terrain gives the Houthis a marked tactical
advantage—enabling withdrawal from coastal areas into the mountains and possible
re-emergence—making containment more realistic than outright military defeat for
now.
