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Political analysts believe that the latest Houthi attacks open a new phase in Saudi Arabia\u2019s approach to the Iran-backed group, marked by a shift from managing and containing escalation to firmly deterring it. They said that Riyadh will not accept the targeting of its citizens and residents on its territory, or attacks on its vital facilities.<\/p>\n
The analysts told Asharq Al-Awsat that this phase is witnessing an advanced level of political, military, and security coordination between Saudi Arabia and Yemen\u2019s legitimate government, strengthening the latter\u2019s ability to confront sources of threat and reshape the balance of power on the ground.<\/p>\n
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Tuesday that his country would not hesitate to defend itself against attacks by the terrorist Houthi militia and would use all available means to protect its interests.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a press conference with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Moscow, the Saudi foreign minister said the Kingdom is putting forward diplomatic solutions to avoid further suffering for Yemen and its people, and will not hesitate to support what serves the interests of Yemen and the region. He highlighted that the path of diplomacy for dealing with the Houthis remains open.<\/p>\n
Prince Faisal added that the Houthis prefer to put their narrow personal interests ahead of Yemen\u2019s interests, while the country\u2019s legitimate government has provided an opportunity to negotiate with them responsibly. He described their latest escalation as part of their pattern of provocation.<\/p>\n
The limits of Saudi Arabia\u2019s patience<\/strong><\/p>\n Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, chairman of the Jeddah-based Gulf Research Center, said Yemen\u2019s legitimate government is fulfilling its responsibilities in confronting Houthi attacks targeting civilians and vital infrastructure across the country. He added that the government has worked to mobilize its capabilities and resources, and consolidate its ranks, particularly at the military level.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Kingdom will not tolerate any attacks against citizens, residents or vital facilities on its territory, and that its patience has limits,\u201d Sager said. He expects Riyadh to respond \u201cfirmly and decisively against the sources of fire, in a manner proportionate to the scale and intensity of the attacks,\u201d citing recent developments in Iraq.<\/p>\n He added that the Houthis had misread Saudi patience, saying that \u201cthey do not adhere to reason or logic and continue to receive instructions.\u201d He said that the group had been given several opportunities over the past years but failed to make use of them.<\/p>\n A more decisive phase<\/strong><\/p>\n Yemeni writer Saleh Al-Baidani said the latest developments point to \u201ca shift from managing and containing escalation toward a more decisive approach focused on deterrence.\u201d<\/p>\n He told Asharq Al-Awsat: \u201cThe Kingdom has provided ample opportunities for de-escalation and a political settlement, but the Houthis misread this restraint, treating it as a permanent limitation on Saudi action rather than a calculated political choice that could be reassessed as circumstances evolve.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that the recent attacks on Saudi territory and vital facilities have elevated the threat to a level that makes the previous approach increasingly difficult to sustain. Al-Baidani said: \u201cWhen the Houthis evolve from a party to the Yemeni crisis into a regional pressure tool more directly linked to Iran\u2019s calculations and its wider confrontation in the region, the approach to dealing with them inevitably changes.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Al-Baidani, the escalation is no longer linked solely to the Yemeni file, but has come to affect Saudi national security, the security of the Red Sea, energy supplies and the safety of international maritime corridors.<\/p>\n Saudi-Yemeni coordination<\/strong><\/p>\n The Yemeni writer highlighted that coordination between Saudi Arabia and the legitimate government has entered a different phase compared to previous years, whether at the political, military or security levels.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cThe Kingdom appears more aware of the importance of having a Yemeni partner capable of managing the confrontation on the ground, while the Yemeni government realizes that any serious move against the Houthis requires a regional umbrella and political, military and economic support.\u201d<\/p>\n Al-Baidani concluded that the success of the next phase remains contingent on the ability of the Yemeni side to unify military and political decision-making, and to transform multiple forces and fronts from a point of weakness into a source of pressure on the Houthis.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cIf that is achieved, we may not be facing a fleeting military round, but rather an attempt to reshape the balance of power that has settled over the past years.\u201d<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Yemeni government forces expanded the scope of their field advance on a number of fronts, managing to liberate the Al-Yatama area in the Khabb wa ash-Sha\u2019af district of Al-Jawf Governorate, northeast of Sanaa, a day after recapturing the Al-Labanat area in the same governorate. This came in parallel with the launch of a large-scale military operation in Al-Bayda Governorate, southeast of Sanaa, and the continuation of clashes on the western coast and west of Taiz, on the sixth day since the start of the Houthi escalation.<\/p>\n The advance comes at a time when government forces have begun, over the past few days, to shift from containing Houthi ground attacks to regaining the initiative on several axes, capitalizing on the group\u2019s retreat from some positions, while army units, resistance forces and the Giants Brigades continue their operations on more than one front.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n