Saudi Arabia readies up to 100,000 Yemeni troops for Bab el‑Mandeb offensive

Saudi‑backed Yemeni forces to launch 100,000‑troop offensive

Saudi Arabia is moving ahead with plans to mobilise up to 100,000 Yemeni troops to retake the Bab el‑Mandeb Strait, the narrow waterway that links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. Reuters, citing six officials familiar with the preparations, said the offensive could start within weeks or be delayed until after the U.S. mid‑term elections in early November.

Why Bab el‑Mandeb matters

The strait is the southern exit of the Red Sea and a chokepoint for global shipping. Its capture by Houthi forces in September has forced vessels to reroute around the longer route through the Cape of Good Hope, raising freight costs and prompting international concern.

The ground plan and its limits

Michael Ratney, former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, told Reuters the operation would likely be limited to coastal areas rather than a full‑scale campaign to defeat the Houthis across Yemen. “Ideally, it would be a fairly limited operation to retake coastal areas and get back to normal maritime traffic,” he said.

Ali Shihabi, a Saudi political analyst close to government thinking, warned that success hinges on the performance of the fragmented Yemeni forces that Riyadh has trained and equipped over the years.

Allies and support structures

Saudi Arabia’s allies are providing intelligence, equipment and defensive support rather than front‑line troops. The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed on August 7 by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, obliges the three to treat an armed attack on any one of them as an attack on all.

• Pakistan has placed 30,000‑40,000 troops inside Saudi Arabia for border defence and air‑defence, and is supplying light artillery and drones.
• Turkey is sending military equipment and its drones are already operating over Yemen.
• France has pledged defensive systems and troops to protect the Red Sea port of Yanbu.

The United States stays out of combat

While the U.S. continues to provide military advisers and targeting intelligence for Saudi air operations, Reuters reported that President Donald Trump had previously rejected Saudi requests for direct U.S. combat support, meaning no American air strikes or ground troops will join the Yemen offensive.

Regional fallout and recent attacks

Houthi drones have recently struck Saudi infrastructure, including the Taiba power distribution station that supplies Medina’s Prophet’s Mosque. Turkey condemned the attack on Oct 1, calling for an immediate end to Houthi strikes.

Open questions

• The exact timing of the ground assault remains unclear.
• It is not yet known whether the offensive will be confined to the Bab el‑Mandeb coast or expand into a broader multi‑front operation.
• How the fragmented Yemeni militias will coordinate under Saudi command is still uncertain.

The coming weeks will reveal whether Riyadh’s gamble can restore the flow of Red Sea traffic or deepen the humanitarian crisis already gripping Yemen.