Benoit Faucon, Nancy A. Yousef and Saleh al-Batati
WSJ, Apr. 14, 2025
“A major ground offensive risks reigniting a Yemeni civil war that has been dormant for years and that spurred a humanitarian crisis when a Saudi-Emirati coalition supported local ground forces with a bombing campaign.”
Yemeni militias are planning a ground offensive against the Houthis in an attempt to take advantage of a U.S. bombing campaign that has degraded the militant group’s capabilities, Yemeni and U.S. officials say.
The Yemeni factions are sensing an opportunity to oust the Houthis from at least parts of the Red Sea coast they have controlled in the decade since they took power over much of the country’s northwest, the officials said.
Private American security contractors provided advice to the Yemeni factions on a potential ground operation, people involved in the planning said. The United Arab Emirates, which supports these factions, raised the plan with American officials in recent weeks, the U.S. and Yemeni officials said.
U.S. military assets in the Mideast
The U.S. is open to supporting a ground operation by local forces, the U.S. officials said, while noting that a decision on whether to back the effort hasn’t been made yet. The U.S. isn’t leading the talks for a ground operation, the officials added. The discussion involves empowering the local factions allied with the internationally recognized government in Yemen to take charge of the country’s security, they said.
“Ultimately, security in the Red Sea is the responsibility of our partners in the region, and we’re working closely with them to ensure shipping in those waterways remains safe and open far into the future,” National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes told The Wall Street Journal last week. ….SOURCE