Two US officials told Axios that a military operation to regain the southern gate of the Red Sea could begin within days, using local government forces for the ground assault. Riyadh plans to provide air cover for up to 100,000 Yemeni soldiers to retake the Bab el-Mandeb strait from the Iran-backed Houthis and break the group's maritime blockade. While the US refuses to commit aircraft to the fighting, Washington has shared targeting data for over 200 Houthi positions in the past two weeks.

The push follows a series of Houthi attacks on the Saudi capital and Aramco facilities. To defend its own borders, Saudi Arabia has deployed 30,000 to 40,000 Pakistani troops and is receiving air defense support from France to protect the Yanbu oil port. These movements align with the Mecca Pact mutual defense treaty signed August 7. Some analysts caution that the mission is risky, citing previous Yemeni offensives that failed due to poor coordination between Saudi jets and ground units.