WW3 Map Updates Show Houthi Advances Isolating Saudi Arabia in Red Sea Conflict
Recent ww3 map updates illustrate how Houthi forces have advanced along Yemen's Red Sea coast, seized islands near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, launched attacks on Saudi Arabia including strikes on King Khalid Air Base, and threatened Mecca, leaving Saudi Arabia isolated and facing potential multi-front conflict with Iranian-backed militias.
Houthi Offensive Gains Control Near Bab al-Mandeb
The Houthis swept down the Red Sea coast and took islands near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. [1] This advance has placed the group in position to potentially threaten shipping and Saudi energy exports while expanding connections toward the Horn of Africa. [1] Control of territory overlooking Bab el-Mandeb could enable the group to halt global trade in one of the world's most important conduits for goods and commodities, including oil. [4] The offensive illustrated weaknesses in Saudi Arabia’s assessments and the command structure of the Saudi-backed Yemen government fighters in Yemen. [1] Reuters reported that the Houthi advance represents one of Saudi Arabia’s most serious setbacks in Yemen in years. [1] The Houthis maneuvered tens of thousands of fighters into position last week around September 8 before their offensive. [1] Saudi-backed Yemeni forces subsequently collapsed during the offensive on the Red Sea. [1] Currently, the Houthis have not done much with their presence, but it means they can strike easily, described as a Sword of Damocles hanging over the Bab al-Mandeb. [1]
Attacks on Saudi Targets and Threats to Mecca
The Houthis attacked Saudi Arabia and even threatened Mecca on September 15. [1] Houthi strikes targeted fighter jet hangars, radars, runways and ammunition depots at King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait. [1] The Houthis claim Saudi Arabia has carried out 300 airstrikes. [1] Saudi Civil Defense issued brief alerts in the neighboring cities of Khamis Mushait and Abha. [1] Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said this week that the group's strikes targeted "fighter jet hangars, radars, runways, ammunition depots" at King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait. [1] The Houthis have launched attacks on Saudi Arabia over the last month. [1] Over the last two months, they also sought to invite Iranian regime members to Sana’a, provoking Saudi Arabia. [1]
Saudi Arabia Faces Multi-Front Pressure
Saudi Arabia faces a potential two-front conflict as it weighs what to do about the Houthi advance. [1] Iranian-backed militias in Iraq attacked the key East-West pipeline in Saudi Arabia. [1] Saudi Arabia has been in talks with US Central Command (CENTCOM), other Gulf states, and partners about what to do next. [1] Riyadh now appears more alone than before. [1] The other Gulf states were considering a meeting in Oman with Iran. [1] Riyadh knows it will not get major Western backing. [1] It is in the same position it was in 2019 after the Iranian attack on Abqaiq. [1] Saudi Arabia is a wealthy country, and it has many strategic sites. [1] It has more to lose than the Houthis or Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. [1] The Iranians now put Saudi Arabia in a multi-front bind. [1]
Background on Houthi Capabilities and Leadership
Abdul Malik al-Houthi, an elusive figure who commands a battle-hardened force, scored his biggest military victory in years when his Iran-aligned Houthi group swept through Yemen's Red Sea coastline. [4] Al-Houthi has transformed his men, fierce mountain fighters often in sandals and hooked on the green leaf stimulant qat, into a force of tens of thousands who withstood years of airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen's civil war and built an arsenal including drones and ballistic missiles. [4] The movement fought a series of wars against Yemen's government between 2004 and 2010. [1] After the upheaval of the Arab Spring, the Houthis expanded beyond their traditional stronghold in Saada and seized Sanaa in September 2014. [1] In March 2015, Saudi Arabia assembled a coalition of Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, to intervene in Yemen. [1] The war initially pushed the Houthis back from southern Yemen, but the group retained Sanaa and much of the northern highlands. [1] Years of airstrikes and ground fighting failed to dislodge them. [1] The Houthis developed increasingly sophisticated missile and drone capabilities. [1] Iranian technology and weapons transfers helped transform their capabilities. [1] UN investigators have documented Iranian-origin missile components and UAVs and concluded that the Houthis could not produce many of their more sophisticated systems without foreign support. [1] By 2017-2021, the Houthis were often launching ballistic missiles and drones deep into Saudi Arabia. [1] A UN-mediated truce beginning in April 2022 largely ended Houthi cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia. [1] Beginning in late 2023, the Houthis launched missiles and drones toward Israel to back Hamas. [1] The Houthis deny being puppets of Tehran and say they are fighting a corrupt system in Yemen and regional aggression. [4] Saudi Arabia and its allies accuse Tehran of arming and training them, which Tehran denies. [4] "Iran does not interfere in Yemeni affairs," Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told reporters on Monday. [1] They claim the Houthis are "entirely independent actors who make their decisions based on their own interests.” [1]
Regional Reactions and Next Steps
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince went to Cairo this week. [1] Egypt could back a Saudi response. [1] Iran is showing that although isolated by a US blockade, it can strike elsewhere. [1] As such, the Iranians now put Saudi Arabia in a multi-front bind. [1] In a statement on September 13, Yahya Saree declared: “We affirm to the criminal Saudi enemy that the continuation of its aggression against our people will be met with more severe and larger operations deep inside its territory, and the consequences will be dire, God willing.” [4] The Houthis are upping their rhetoric. [1] In another speech during the Gaza war, al-Houthi, appearing with a traditional Yemeni dagger in his belt, described Israel's blockade of Gaza as a crime against humanity and accused Arab and other Muslim states of inaction. [4] He threatened military action if the US and Israel sought to displace Palestinians from Gaza and called US President Donald Trump a criminal. [4] “We reaffirm our steadfast position against American and Israeli-Zionist tyranny, which targets our entire nation under the banner of 'changing the Middle East,'" he said in August in a speech to mark the Prophet Mohammad's birthday. [4]
Separate Conflicts Continue in Ukraine and DR Congo
The Russian front near Lyman is retreating, bringing significant relief to Sloviansk. [3] Ukraine was initially meant to fall within three days; now Putin adviser Patrushev is making the same threat to Poland. [3] 77 percent of Ukrainians want to continue resisting through the winter even without electricity and heating, with Kyiv residents the most determined. [3] Another Russian general has been killed — his unit is fighting near Kostiantynivka. [3] Videos of the day include an election campaign advert on Russian television; Ukrainian depots burn just like Russian ones; a Ukrainian grandmother takes apart a Russian drone; an interceptor drone armed with a shotgun shoots down an enemy craft over a frontline city. [3] The situation near Orikhiv is gradually deteriorating, while Russians are continuing to push near Dobropillia, Kostiantynivka, Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, as well as in the north of Kharkiv region. [3] Rybar claimed that Ukrainian sabotage groups that crossed the Zherebets river in the area of the Zhuravka ravine are operating east of the river and are attempting to enter the villages of Terny and Yampolivka. [3] In DR Congo, more than 312 900 persons displaced living in 69 sites remain confronted with urgent humanitarian needs. [2] Armed violence in the territory of Mambasa has caused at least 80 deaths among civilians. [2] More than 103 000 persons have benefited from food assistance in the territory of Djugu. [2]
What to watch next: Saudi Arabia is in talks with US CENTCOM, Gulf states and partners but appears more isolated, with limited Western backing and other Gulf states considering a meeting in Oman with Iran. [1] The Houthis have shown they can weather the storm and make advances in the past. [1]
