Riyadh is mobilizing military forces for a campaign against Yemen’s Houthis to end the disruption of maritime trade in the Red Sea. The operation, which could start within weeks, aims to reclaim the Bab el-Mandeb strait by deploying more than 100,000 Yemeni ground troops supported by Saudi aircraft. Officials are weighing a limited coastal operation against a broader multi-front offensive across Yemen.

The US is providing intelligence and military advisers but does not intend to participate in direct combat. To protect against retaliatory strikes, Pakistan has already moved 30,000–40,000 soldiers into Saudi Arabia for domestic defense. Saudi leadership believes that peace negotiations cannot resume until the Houthis are removed from the strategic waterway.