Rapid Houthi advances in Yemen pose massive strategic risks for Saudi Arabia in the Gulf

The resumption of fighting, paired with the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz, complicates regional strategy and energy policy for the Gulf powerhouse.

By: Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Rice University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: September 16, 2026

Words: 1,181

Last Updated: 1 day, 4 hours ago

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By Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Rice University

An advance by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, which has included the targeting of Saudi cities and infrastructure, has quickly complicated a widening Middle East war.

Not only has it all but unraveled a 2022 truce putting a lid on Yemen’s civil war – in which the Iran-aligned Houthis were fighting a Saudi-led coalition – but the seizure of territory next to the Red Sea has further threatened Saudi …

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