Saudi Arabia and Yemeni Government Forces Plan Red Sea Offensive, US Officials Say

Saudi Arabia and Yemeni government forces are planning a major counteroffensive against the Houthis in the coming days, according to US officials.

The planned operation aims to push Houthi forces away from areas along Yemen’s Red Sea coast that control access to the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

That objective places the approaches to the strait at the centre of the anticipated fighting, with control of coastal territory the focus of the reported plan.

The account describes preparations for an offensive rather than an operation already under way. It gives no precise launch date beyond the coming days.