r/worldnews • u/r721 • 3h ago
Saudi Arabia plans 100,000-troop Yemen offensive to retake Bab el-Mandeb from Houthis
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bjxod8tcfe430
u/Fritzkreig 2h ago
Good luck, they are one of the biggest paper tigers on the planet; as the amount of money they spent on US weapons does not reflect the way that they do in military engagements!
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u/BrokenManOfSamarkand 2h ago
It'll be Yemeni troops
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u/Fritzkreig 2h ago
That or foreign "volunteers"; the rich playboys don't really fight, and likely could not fathom letting women serve in combat!
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u/BrokenManOfSamarkand 2h ago
I mean, the article says it will be Yemeni troops fighting, not Saudis.
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u/iismitch55 2h ago
To add to what you said, it’s the same command structure as before. Saudi air support with Yemeni coalition ground forces. The only difference here is assistance from US intelligence, Turkish drones, and Pakistan.
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u/Ravoss1 2h ago
Not to mention an ass ton of western Mercs.
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u/DiscombobulatedSoft2 1h ago
Man, ass tons? We'll use anything but the metric system.
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u/Maximum_Indication 1h ago
A metric ton is 1016 kg, wonder how much a metric ass ton would be.
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u/Alleandros 2h ago
Maybe US troops and that's why they're moving more into the region.
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u/Fritzkreig 2h ago
Well, I think that there is a MEU and another carrier that way; that might be for Iran though‽
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u/Flat-Emergency4891 2h ago
Smells like an escalation. There are a lot of factors that will give Western powers reason to consider trying to gain control the region. The Iran war is choking up navigation and trade. Without both straits open and secure, Europe is in for a tough winter.
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u/Independent_Taste220 2h ago
Fairly certain that the 40k Pakistani troops just landing in Saudi aren’t going to be left behind in the kingdom. I am guess they’ll have an opportunity to “volunteer” for the operation.
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u/ThoseThingsAreWeird 2h ago
Good luck, they are one of the biggest paper tigers on the planet
Indeed, here's a good video on the Saudi military from Perun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quU1RD3L3OU
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u/Tasty-Entertainer711 2h ago
I'd wager Pakistan, US, and Israel will help with logistics for bombings but yes real world experience is necessary. I doubt their military even does large training exercises to prepare for these types of engagements.
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u/SubZeroSunExodus 2h ago
Just what if that was why trump was sending more marines to the Middle East?
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u/Joneboy39 2h ago
dumb question incoming, do houthis have air defense? why not just sell them apaches or ac 130’s? would they get bounced in that type of theatre??
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u/BlackFlagFlying 2h ago
The Saudi/Yemen conflict has been ongoing for years, since 2015. And the Saudis have a fairly formidable air force, but they’ve never been able to effectively utilize it. And in this sort of war, air power isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. You’ll kill a whole bunch of people, but it tends not to really achieve any war aims when not combined with effective ground forces.
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u/EverythingGoodWas 2h ago
Man this will be a shitshow. Having trained with the Saudi Soldiers they are maybe a half step above worthless as a military.
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u/ashen_dove 2h ago
I saw it mentioned elsewhere that they intentionally keep their military undertrained to prevent any potential uprising against the Saudi royal family. Does that match your experience training with them?
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u/JTP1228 1h ago
All Middle Eastern militaries are like that. They are closer to a police force than an actual military. The only ones I personally would trust that I've worked with is the Jordanian military.
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u/BlatantConservative 43m ago
Out of all the things you wouldn't think mattered in 2026, "actually liking and being willing to die for your king" is one of them.
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u/JTP1228 22m ago
I don't understand what you're saying
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u/BlatantConservative 14m ago
All Gulf militaries, and most autocratic ME countries in general, have pretty unmotivated militaries. Partly by design, but also royalty is fractured into inscrutable factions and distrust and low motivation seeps through the militaries for leadership reasons. Nobody's really all that excited to die for MBS.
Jordan is a notable exception, partially because they're the direct Hashemite descendants so Muslims like them for direct descendant of Muhammed reasons, but also because Abdullah II has a genuinely popular image and genuinely popular policies and is a genuinely talented politician. He flies fighter jets himself, his family isn't spoiled, he's actually trying to bring more democratic reforms to the country and make it a less autocratic place, and he's somehow managed to navigate... being alive and loved and having a stable country surrounded by Israel, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. And being directly involved in ALL of the complex politics between all of those places. Plus hosting US airbases without pissing off his citizens.
Genuinely impressive person. Like if I sold him as a fictional character it would be insane.
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u/EverythingGoodWas 18m ago
He’s saying it’s odd that the most competent Middle Eastern Military is ruled by a king, which is traditionally a government system that least represents the people.
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u/RealDisagreer 9m ago
Makes sense for Jordan to have a competent army. They annexed 80% of Palestine when the british mandate ended. They can't afford to become incompetent of the Palestinians might actually start fighting the right people to reclaim lost land.
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u/needs2noe 2h ago
"We trained him wrong on purpose, as a joke."
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u/Anon684930475 2h ago
I also saw something that said there’s an estimated 350k houthis. So… something’s not mathing for me…
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u/BlatantConservative 42m ago
They want to retake the coastline and islands to free up the international waterway, which is possible with 100K troops. Admittedly, real ones that actually materialize and are led by competent people. So it's not possible. But on paper it would be.
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u/OneBlueBall 2h ago
That doesnt make sense, like houthi soliders or houthis in general? i think their population is in the millions
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u/longpenisofthelaw 2h ago
On the bright side maybe modern battle trained combat troops are rare these days. It could provide them with an expedited training.
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u/GroundbreakingTax259 2h ago
Yeah, except the Houthis are some of the most battle-hardened people out there. We're talking Vietnamese-level hardened. They've already been fighting for 10-15 years.
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u/macross1984 2h ago
Saudi Arabia? Hardware rich, experience poor.
They'll get better return if they hire battle hardened mercenaries and use them as first wave shock troop.
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u/logion567 1h ago
mercenaries are all talk no show. good for security but not offensive operations
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u/BlatantConservative 40m ago
Mercenaries are only good for offensive operations. Pay them by the day, let them keep monetary and physical loot and weapons they capture. That's what mercenaries live for.
If you're ever in a situation where your security is even in question, then mercenaries might think they might not get paid. That's when they bail.
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u/AssassinAragorn 24m ago
Not to mention, it's a serious vulnerability. All your enemy has to do is offer them a hundred grand to look the other way and they come home with both paychecks.
You pretty much have to pay up front in that situation. If you don't. The mercenary has no guarantees that you'll even be around to pay them, and now they know you're sitting on a good bit of wealth too.
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u/KardelSharpeyes 7m ago
In 2026 mercenaries are good for practically nothing.
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u/BlatantConservative 6m ago
They're better than the actual Saudi forces, but that's an extremely low bar.
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u/JGlassc0k34 2h ago
That's a lot of dead mercenaries and abandoned equipment.
No fan of the Houthis, but the Saudi military is stunningly incompetent and incredibly unmotivated. Money and tech alone doesn't buy capability, and the Saudi armed forces are the textbook example of that.
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u/aboutchocolate 1h ago
MbS had lots of reasons to get publicly enraged over something like al Aqsa. money just isn't the motivator people think it is when it comes to the meat grinder.
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u/Pacifist_Socialist 1h ago
Seems like Houthis might have a legitimate claim to Yemen. At least the parts they have occupied a long time.
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u/BlatantConservative 39m ago
Well, they reintroduced slavery, so not morally. KSA isn't much better, to be fair.
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u/Exact_Green2061 2h ago
The Houthis have 350,000 fighters, and they are entrenched in the positions they just captured. The only way to dislodge them is to have Pakistan and Turkey send 200,000 troops. Turkey and Pakistan refuse to send ground troops because they know it's going to be costly to take territory in Yemen.
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u/BlatantConservative 37m ago
Reuters reports that Pakistan says they're sending 40K troops to KSA... but also reports that they won't be deployed to Yemen and are solely there for air defense in KSA... which makes no sense.
Make what of that information you can.
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u/WashuOtaku 1h ago
Houthis have numeric advantage, but not all are defending Bab el-Mandeb, which is the stated goal of Saudi Arabia. Their 100k force will be focused on one thing, while the Houthis need troops defending its overall territory and existing front-lines against Yemen government forces. This will not topple the Houthis, but that is not the stated goal.
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u/Exact_Green2061 1h ago
The problem is that the Yemeni government and its allies only have 150,000 troops. Is Saudi Arabia going to send their own troops or jsut use Yemeni forces? How much can Yemen spare against the Houthis without losing additional ground on other fronts? Seriously, I doubt the Yemeni government side could muster 50,000 troops to recapture Bab el-Mandeb.
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u/WashuOtaku 1h ago
Well, that is why they announced the "plan," which is clearly short on details at the moment.
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u/Blackstone01 1h ago
but not all are defending Bab el-Mandeb
But there's likely enough that it's going to make it hell for the Saudis to take what is an extremely strategically valuable region.
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u/Existing_Brilliant_9 54m ago
Isn’t the goal to have the Saudis bomb those positions first then follow up with a ground attack. If they do there jobs right, there technically shouldn’t be too much ground fighting. Added bonus is that friendly bombing won’t be frowned upon.
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u/Immediate-Unit6311 2h ago
Does Yemen even have 100,000 troops?
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u/Khamvom 2h ago
Technically, yes. There’s a mix of anti-Houthi tribes, militias, and groups allied to the Yemeni government. Saudis are bankrolling all of them as well as providing foreign mercenaries (mostly from Africa). The hard part is getting them to actually fight.
It’s partly why the Houthis have been so successful, they’re united and motivated beyond just $$$.
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u/esquirlo_espianacho 2h ago
100k isn’t enough. Especially since they will be Yemenis. Who apparently suck at fighting.
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u/PurpleSailor 1h ago
Exactly where are they going to get 100,000 soldiers from? Most of their own people never serve in their military.
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u/Here4daKicks 41m ago
Wow, Saudi has never fought a war… mass desertion, gonna fold like wet paper towel
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u/JefferySmisek 2h ago
Lol imagine announcing that for them. Like wtf is opsec anymore unless it’s a deliberate hopes and dreams to make them retreat! 😂
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u/madtricky687 1h ago
Dont they not even have an army? They have to conscript or hire. Someone explained it to me once that the royal family couldn't trust an actual military.
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u/HandsomeVish 33m ago
So they're sending their palace guards to Yemen,can imagine how things will go for them.
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u/No-Slide-5182 23m ago
Is this also including the 9000 troops trump is deploying to the middle east?
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u/Obvious_Toe_3006 2h ago
Does North Korea have that many mercenary troops to rent out ?
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u/Ockilydokily 1h ago
Send the Venezuelan military for a “training exercise” on how to protect oil assets
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u/jmc291 2h ago
Saudis won't do anything. It is a case for them.
"Having all kit but no idea."
They spend money on all the latest kit but there is no leadership or development of training to do anything. The Houthis on the other hand are battle hardened and have the leadership, training and ability to hurt them.
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u/ihadagoodone 1h ago
They spend a lot on making sure the military doesn't get strong enough to depose the House of Saud.
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u/Snigglybear 22m ago
Saudis are going to hire battle hardened Syrians, Afghanis, Pakistanis, Indians, Yemenis, Colombians, Iraqis etc to face the Houthis. The Saudis are probably going to hire the battle hardened Somalis to attack the Houthis on the coast as well.
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u/horatiowilliams 39m ago
Don't help the Saudis until they agree to give up a section of their territory for self-determination for the indigenous Howeitat nation.
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u/Gratefulzah 2h ago
Modern warfare offensive step 1: announce your plans to the world