West Asia Conflict Simmers Again: Houthis Advance on Marib-Taiz as Saudi Arabia Faces Pressure to Respond

Marib: The conflict in West Asia is simmering again, with fighting intensifying in Yemen as Houthi rebels advance towards Saudi-backed government-held areas, including the strategic oil- and gas-rich province of Marib and the city of Taiz, while Saudi Arabia faces growing pressure to respond.

According to Al Jazeera, Houthi rebels were advancing towards government strongholds in Marib and Taiz, raising concerns over a renewed offensive. Marib has remained one of the most strategically important government-held areas in Yemen since the conflict escalated in 2015, with major army bases, oil and gas fields, a key power station and more than two million displaced people.

Amid reports that the Houthis are massing forces around Marib, Yemen's government forces have said they are prepared to defend the province against any renewed offensive. Brigadier Yahya Al-Hatemi, director of the Yemeni army's military media, told Arab News that government forces had gained significant battlefield experience during more than a decade of fighting and were ready to repel any attempt by the Houthis to advance on Marib.

“The armed forces have generally become more organised, powerful and effective,” Al-Hatemi said. He added, “Over the past decade, they have gained combat experience that enabled them to overcome adversity, master military tactics and identify the enemy’s strengths and weaknesses.”

Yemeni media reported over the weekend that the Houthis had sent large numbers of fighters and military equipment to areas of Marib province under their control, raising fears of preparations for another offensive. The reported buildup followed major Houthi gains along Yemen's western coast, including the seizure of the Red Sea port city of Mokha and advances towards the Bab Al-Mandab area.

Al-Hatemi said the Yemeni army was aware that Marib could become the Houthis' next major target. “We know that the new pressure will be directed at Marib,” he said. He, however, asserted that the government forces had the strength and local support to withstand any renewed Houthi push.

“However, Marib has significant military strength and divine protection. Moreover, the Houthis lack a popular support base there. Quite the opposite: The local environment is hostile to them,” Al-Hatemi said. The developments have also put Saudi Arabia in a difficult position. According to CNN, the Houthis' swift advance in Yemen and attacks on Saudi Arabia have left the Gulf kingdom with few options to respond, with each carrying high costs.

The key message emanating from Riyadh is that Saudi Arabia does not want an all-out war, experts said, but the Houthis' emboldened behaviour may nonetheless drag the Gulf state into a wider conflict.  “All signs now point to a large-scale Saudi retaliation, and that likelihood is increasing by the day,” Mohammed Al-Basha, an expert on Yemen and Washington, DC-based risk adviser, told CNN.

Meanwhile, the wider confrontation involving Iran and the United States is continuing to affect commercial shipping through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that as of Sunday (local time), 101 commercial vessels had been redirected by the US Navy in the strait. The United States reinstated its blockade on Iranian ports in July following the breakdown of talks between Washington and Tehran.

During his two-day visit to Ireland on September 12, US President Donald Trump, speaking alongside Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin during a joint press conference at Farmleigh House, spoke about Iran's role, the Houthis and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. Asked about Iran's involvement, Trump said he believed Tehran was probably responsible and noted that the Houthis had contacted Washington to signal that they did not want a confrontation with the United States.

“I think they are probably. They are on the balls of their feet right now, but I think they are. They've been in charge of that for a while. We've had discussions. The Houthis called us, and they don't want to fight with us. They let us know. They don't want to fight with us. They don't want me to go after them. They don't want us to go after them. But they've called and they've talked to us, and they don't want us to. They would much prefer not having us involved,” Trump said.

Turning to the movement of commercial vessels through the waterway, Trump said most ships were still being allowed to pass, while indicating that the United States was taking action against vessels it considered problematic. “And they're letting most ships go through. There's just one country that they're not too happy with, and we'll get that straight down. But I have to say we've done a great job here,” he said.

Trump also highlighted the US military's control over the strategically important waterway and its naval blockade, saying Washington's actions had prevented a sharper rise in oil prices. “We really very powerfully control our most straight, and nobody saw that happening. But we have very powerful control over it. We have a naval blockade that's been so incredible,” he said.

Explaining the scale of the US naval operation, Trump said American forces were intercepting a significant number of vessels each day. “Boy, your oil prices would be much higher. We're taking a lot of boats out. We take out, on average, 25 boats a day, most of them at night,” he said.

Adding to concerns over disruption in the strategic waterway, preliminary ship-tracking data cited by Al Arabiya English in a Facebook post on September 10 showed that vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz had fallen to seven from 12 the previous day, with the level also below the 10-day average of 14.

The latest developments underscore how the renewed fighting in Yemen is increasingly intersecting with the wider confrontation involving Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United States, raising concerns that further Houthi advances or attacks could trigger a broader escalation across West Asia. 

Also read: New Wave of Houthi Missile Strikes in Southern Saudi Arabia, Claims Iran