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Armed conflict between the Houthi movement in Yemen and Saudi Arabia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict is an ongoing armed conflict between the Royal Saudi Armed Forces and Iran-backed Yemeni Houthi forces that has been taking place in the Arabian Peninsula, including the southern Saudi regions of Asir, Jizan, and Najran, and northern Yemeni governorates of Saada, Al Jawf, and Hajjah, since the onset of the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen in 2015.
 | This article needs to be updated. (May 2023) |
| Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the spillover of the Yemeni Civil War and the Saudi Arabian–led intervention in Yemen | |||||||||
Current (October 2023) political and military control in ongoing Yemeni Civil War (2014–present) and Yemen Local, non-aligned forces
(For a map of the military situation in Yemen and border areas in Saudi Arabia, see the detailed map here.) | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Jordan[6] Qatar (2015–2017) Sudan[7] (2015–2019)[8] |
 Iran (weapons)[9] North Korea (military)[10][11][12][13][14] | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Gen. Awad Al-Balawi(Director General of Saudi Border Guard)  Lt. Gen Muhammad Al Shaalan †[15](Commander of the Royal Saudi Air Force  Brig. Gen Ibrahim Hamzi †[16](Deputy Cmdr. 8th Armoured Brigade) Maj. Gen. Abdulrahman al-Shahrani †(Commander of 18th Brigade)[17] Col. Hassan Ageeli †[18] Lt. Col. Abdullah al-Balwi †[19] |
 Abdul-Malik al-Houthi Abu Bakr Abu Ahmed as-Salami Brig. Gen. Hasan Almalsi † (Commander of Houthi special forces)[20] Abdullah al-Fadeea †(Houthi frontline deputy general supervisor)[21] | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Thousands of Yemeni civilians killed and wounded, 500+ Saudi civilians killed[22][23] | |||||||||
Over the course of the conflict the Houthis have carried out attacks on military bases and outposts in Saudi Arabia.[24]
In their 2004 conflict against the government of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of pressuring Saleh to crack down on their community, and of funding him with US$25 billion. This accusation was denied by Saleh, and was not acknowledged by Saudi Arabia. The Houthis and pro-Houthi Yemen army units were deploying effective tactics. Usually, they would first deploy teams equipped with anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs)—like Russian made 9M113 Konkurs, 9M113 Kornet-Es and a few BGM-71 TOWs—to take out specific vehicles or bunkers. BM-21s and BM-27s would then target nearest military bases and lay landmines along routes connecting with the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border. Meanwhile, pro-Houthi special forces would start assaulting the border outposts, while motorcycle mounted teams armed with RPG-7s and US-made M47 Dragons would infiltrate into the Saudi rear. Columns of Saudi Arabian Army (RSLF) forces would thus drive into unknown minefields, or rush into ambushes at places not directly hit by the fighting. Some raiding parties deployed into Saudi Arabia were armed with man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS), as well as M167 Vulcan towed anti-aircraft cannons. Although exact details of the effectiveness of either remain evasive, during the first year of the war they damaged numerous attack helicopters of the RSLF and the Royal Saudi Navy Forces (RSNF), thus forcing their crews to keep their distance.[25]
As a result of the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, the Saudi city of Najran was shelled by the Houthis on 5 May. The Saudi authorities temporarily closed local educational institutions and the Najran Domestic Airport.[26]
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