Saudi, Egyptian leaders weigh plan to drive Houthis away from Bab al-Mandab
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi discussed potential military operations against Yemen’s Houthi rebels during talks Tuesday, Egyptian media reported.
- Advertisement -
The reported plan could involve land, air and naval forces seeking to push the Houthis away from the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, the maritime passage linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
According to the reports, the proposed operation would aim to protect Saudi ports and preserve safe access to the Suez Canal by reducing the Houthis’ presence near the vital waterway.
The leaders also discussed reviving the broader Arab coalition that launched a military intervention in Yemen against the Houthis in 2015. Although several Arab countries joined the coalition, it has since fractured as its members have pursued competing interests in Yemen.
Exiled Egyptian media further reported that Cairo may try to mediate between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, whose positions on Yemen have periodically diverged despite their earlier cooperation in the Saudi-led intervention.
Saudi Arabia is reportedly preparing additional measures against the Houthis, who are said to control the port city of Mokha and Mayyun Island near Bab al-Mandab.
The reported Saudi aim is to weaken the Houthis and remove them from strategically significant areas once controlled by UAE-backed forces before those forces withdrew from parts of Yemen.
AXADLETM
