DREAM / The Prime Minister resigns and wakes up under the Parisian bridge!

 Kliko këtu për të tjera
Voxpress:

2026-09-25 19:16:00Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Opposite Saudi Arabia, which in 2025 alone spent about 83 billion dollars on defense and possesses some of the most sophisticated American weapons, stand the Houthis, a force that at first glance appears much weaker.

They have no aviation, have been subject to a UN arms embargo since 2015, and have endured an air and naval blockade imposed by Riyadh for years.

However, despite this disparity, the Houthis continue to control significant areas of Yemen and have significantly expanded their military capabilities.

In early September, they launched a new offensive along the Red Sea coast, capturing the port of Mocha, the city of Dhubab, and the islands of Zuqar and Perim. This gave them a key position near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world's main trade corridors.

On September 19, for the first time, their attacks also affected the outskirts of Riyadh. The Houthis claimed to have hit "sensitive targets" in the Saudi capital and installations of the Aramco oil company in Yanbu.

The Saudi-led coalition confirmed it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, a development that suggests the Houthis are no longer the limited militia they were at the start of the civil war in 2014, when they numbered around 30,000 fighters.

According to a report by UN experts, by the end of 2024 they had transformed from a local group with limited capacities into a powerful military organization, with capabilities extending far beyond the territories under their control.

In this transformation, Iran's role has been crucial. Tehran has helped train the Houthis through the Revolutionary Guard, Hezbollah, and Iraqi militias, while international investigations have identified supplies of components and technology for the production of drones and missiles.

In June 2025, the British organization Conflict Armament Research identified more than 800 components, including antennas, microprocessors, and navigation systems, in a seized shipment linked to Iranian supply networks.

The Houthis' arsenal currently includes ballistic missiles with ranges that can reach Israel, as well as various types of drones used against ships in the Red Sea. Furthermore, they have gained considerable combat experience.

Despite Saudi bombing and US strikes throughout 2025, the Houthis have maintained control of the capital Sanaa and a significant part of the country. The weakness of government forces has also played a significant role.

The anti-Houthi front is fragmented, and the Presidential Steering Council has failed to effectively coordinate the rival groups. The withdrawal of UAE troops from Yemen in late 2025 further weakened this front.

Subsequent military reforms undertaken by Saudi Arabia to eliminate the phenomenon of "ghost soldiers" have not been enough. The case of Mokha is significant.

On September 10, the forces that were supposed to defend the port, led by Tareq Saleh, retreated before the Houthis' advance, leaving the city almost unresisted.

For Saudi Arabia, this creates a difficult dilemma. The Houthi attacks could justify a return to a full-scale war, but a new intervention in Yemen would have high military, political, and security costs for Saudi territory.

According to researcher Laurent Bonnefoy, Riyadh wanted to withdraw precisely to avoid this scenario. External support also remains limited.

Reuters reports that in mid-September, US representatives met with Houthi leaders at the US embassy in Muscat, and the group was told that it was primarily targeting Saudi tankers, not US ships.

Meanwhile, Pakistan and Turkey, despite new security agreements with Riyadh, have shown no signs of direct military intervention. Thus, a conflict that once seemed like a confrontation between a regional power and a poorly armed militia has taken on another dimension.

The Houthis have transformed themselves into a military actor with missiles, drones, combat experience and enduring ties to Iran, while Saudi Arabia is facing the consequences of a war it had hoped to escape.


Në përputhje me standarded JTI

Video

SHIKO KANALIN NE YOUTUBE
×