Saudi Struggles to Neutralize Houthi Threat Despite Cutting‑Edge Defense Systems
Saudi Arabia possesses vast financial resources and cutting‑edge weaponry, yet for more than a decade it has remained powerless to eradicate Yemen’s battle‑tested Houthis.
The Iran‑backed faction has recently launched missiles on Riyadh, occupied the entire Red Sea coast, and established an informal blockade on Saudi oil exports, apparently unchecked.
Analysts argue that Saudi resistance relies heavily on ineffective proxy forces on the battlefield, while the fierce terrain and sustained Iranian support have granted the Houthis decisive advantages.
Why Has Saudi Arabia Struggled?
The kingdom has spent fortunes procuring sophisticated armament and defence kits, and has historically depended on sizable cadres of foreign personnel, contractors, and training specialists to augment its standing forces.
Significant sales from Western manufacturers – including American, British, and French counterparts – have become a defining aspect of Saudi defence policy and its diplomatic outreach to align with key allies.
Just last week, the United States authorized a $24.3 billion transfer delivering forty‑eight F‑35 stealth fighters to Saudi industry.
Even with a formidable arsenal, the Saudi army has shown comparatively limited experience conducting complex independent combat operations.
Why Are the Houthis So Resilient?
Originally poorly equipped, the Houthi movement has leveraged the region’s extreme topography and strong tribal affiliations to erect formidable defensive lines whose roots prove incredibly tenacious to defeat.
Over the past years, the bloc has built an advanced stockpile of missiles and drones aided by Iranian funding, and it has preserved a cohesive unit that contrasts sharply with government divisions.
“The Houthis successfully forged a unified front,” explained Thomas Juneau, an Iran‑Yemen specialist at the University of Ottawa, in an interview with AFP.
“That unity stems from a centrally focused regime that exerts stringent command and control across the disparate forces it assembled.”
Since 2023, the group has repeatedly crippled Red Sea shipping lanes by targeting vessels suspected of Israeli connections after the Gaza war.
A comparable strategy would later be emulated by Iran aiming to seal the Strait of Hormuz.
Recurring American, British, and Israeli strikes in 2024 and 2025 are believed to have weakened Houthi logistics and artillery assets, yet these efforts have failed to nullify their missile and unmanned systems.
What About the Yemeni Government?
Saudi Arabia entered the Yemen war in 2015 in tandem with its United Arab Emirates partner to support a regime driven out of Sanaa earlier that year.
Days ahead of the broader regional crisis, instability plagued Yemen’s weak government in Aden.
In December, UAE‑backed forces briefly held all governmental precincts, stirring Riyadh’s outrage and igniting an ongoing rupture between the two powers; Abu Dhabi soon relinquished its position.
The Saudis found themselves unprepared to fill the void left by the UAE’s exit and dispatched a scattered force to guard strategic zones.
“Severe pressure combined with poor coordination with local troops produced this implosion,” said Michael Knights, a Middle‑East analyst quoted by AFP.
A 2022 ceasefire collapsed in July as the Houthis allowed an Iranian‑flown aircraft to land directly in Sanaa, defying Riyadh. Subsequently, they imposed a maritime blockade covering Saudi ports and oil facilities, eventually seizing the whole Red Sea shore around Bab al‑Mandab and then striking Riyadh.
Officially, Saudi responses included only modest counter‑offensives rather than large‑scale drives, even though hostilities persist against Yemeni irregulars.
Reporting from American sources indicates that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has repeatedly urged President Donald Trump to intervene to halt the insurgency, yielding no tangible result.
On the ground, Yemeni army units lament chronic morale deficits.
“We have been beset by shortages of munitions and ammunition, along with recurring delays in wage settlements,” stated a fighter unit from the southern Lahj governorate to AFP.
“Two days ago we received resupply packages, but availability remains inadequate.”, he added.
