By Mohammad Homaeefar
Amid reports of a possible US offensive backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Yemen has delivered a stern message to its not-so-friendly neighbors: any attack will trigger a fierce response, one with consequences far beyond what they might anticipate.
On Sunday, Mohammed Nasser al-Bukhaiti, a senior Ansarullah resistance movement leader, revealed the contents of a blunt message recently sent from Sana’a to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
“We informed the Saudi and Emirati regimes that we know the mercenaries of each country, and that the response to any bombing of any internal front will extend deep into the sponsoring state,” he said.
The official warned that resorting to a “gradual intervention” led by the US, in the hope that they will escape the Yemeni wrath, is “an unsafe option” for aggressors.
The warning followed several reports suggesting that Yemeni militias were preparing a ground offensive against the Yemeni government in Sana’a, possibly with support from Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The Wall Street Journal reported on April 14, 2025, that these militia groups were planning a ground attack along the Red Sea coast, with the UAE presenting this plan to US.
“Private American security contractors provided advice to the Yemeni factions on a potential ground operation,” the newspaper said, citing sources involved in the planning.
“The United Arab Emirates, which supports these factions, raised the plan with American officials in recent weeks.”
A similar report by Bloomberg noted that Yemeni mercenaries were in talks with the US and some Persian Gulf allies about a possible land offensive against the federal Yemeni government.
“One scenario involves a multi-front assault, coordinated with the US military, with the aim of driving [Ansarullah] out of the key port of Hudaydah and building pressure on them in Sana’a,” the news agency reported, citing unnamed sources.
Saudi-aligned forces stationed along the Yemen-Saudi border have also declared their intent to take part in the attack. In an interview with Israel’s Channel 14, these forces said they had received guarantees of American air support.
The first indications of a potential offensive emerged two weeks ago, when the Emirati outlet The National quoted Abdulaziz Sager, head of the Saudi-based Persian Gulf Research Center, as saying that around 80,000 fighters were being mobilized to capture Hudaydah, with the ultimate objective of advancing on the capital.
In an interview with Press TV, the Yemeni prime minister said the US considers any country that is hostile to the Israeli regime as 'terrorist', adding that the Yemeni government will endure for many more years in the face of the colonial countries. https://t.co/FaN3mwWoGU pic.twitter.com/kr4xuqfNHf
— Highlights (@highlightsnews1) January 23, 2024
‘The cost will be beyond your expectations’
Reacting to these developments, the Yemeni Armed Forces declared themselves in a state of “extreme readiness” and warned that any aggression, especially if backed by neighboring countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, would have severe repercussions.
On Friday, Newsweek magazine quoted an Ansarullah movement source as saying the army was fully prepared to repel any attack.
“As for neighboring countries,” the source said, “if they become involved in any way in the aggression against us in defense of the Israeli enemy, whether by deploying their mercenaries or otherwise, the cost to them will be beyond their expectations.”
Although both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have officially denied any involvement, with the UAE calling the reports “wild unsubstantiated stories” and Saudi Arabia labeling them false, their military actions tell a different story.
Last Thursday, Saudi jets bombed residential areas in Yemen’s Sa’ada province near the border, where Saudi airstrikes during the war on Yemen had already caused widespread destruction. A day earlier, missile and artillery fire from Saudi Arabia struck the border district of Shada, damaging civilian property.
At the same time, the UAE has reportedly deployed over 2,500 armed mercenaries to the eastern province of Hadramout, escalating tensions with Saudi-backed groups following a declaration of “self-rule” by the Saudi-supported Hadramout Tribal Alliance.
Massive Friday protests in Yemen: Call for end to US, Israeli aggressions@Yousef_Mawry reports from Sana’a. pic.twitter.com/Rf5UcGGrkz
— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) April 12, 2025
The road to this confrontation
Yemen, devastated by a prolonged war led by Saudi Arabia, remains divided between three major powers: the Ansarullah movement-led government, which administers the capital Sana’a and governs over 80 percent of Yemen’s population; the ousted regime, based in the southern city of Aden and supported by Saudi Arabia; and the separatist Transitional Council (STC), which is backed by the UAE.
In 2014, the Yemeni people launched a popular uprising against the regime of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, paving the road for the Ansarullah movement to take over Sana’a on September 21, following a swift advance south from their northern stronghold of Sa’ada.
Saudi Arabia, supported by the UAE and backed by Western powers, launched a full-scale war on Yemen in March 2015 to reinstate the Hadi regime. The war has since killed hundreds of thousands, displaced millions, and created what the UN has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Though the Saudis initially sought to topple the Ansarullah-led government within weeks, they became mired in a decade-long war, largely due to Yemenis’ unyielding resilience.
By 2022, the Yemeni Armed Forces had grown strong enough to shift the battle onto Saudi and Emirati soil, carrying out several sophisticated military operations—including strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities.
Facing mounting losses, the Saudi-led coalition announced in March 2022 a suspension of assaults on Yemen to enable peace talks. Since April 2022, a UN-brokered ceasefire has largely halted major attacks from both sides.
Still, the devastation did not deter Yemen from standing with Palestine when the Israeli regime launched its genocidal assault on Gaza in October 2023. Since then, the Yemeni Armed Forces have repeatedly targeted Israeli-linked ships and military assets as well as US warships, vowing to continue until Israel halts its aggression.
“US failed to protect Israeli ships.”
— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) April 17, 2025
Yemen's Ansarullah leader states that the US has been unable to provide maritime security for the Israeli regime. pic.twitter.com/tGmmNv3G9d
US aggression fails to deter Yemenis
Israel’s all-weather ally, the United States, has carried out hundreds of airstrikes across Yemen in the past year and more to intimidate Yemenis. This aggression, which started under the banner of 'Operation Prosperity Guardian' early last year, failed on all fronts.
After Biden’s unsuccessful and futile military adventures, Trump decided to up the ante. Only two days after returning to the White House, he re-designated Ansarullah resistance movement as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and vowed to escalate military attacks against Yemen over the latter's unwavering pro-Gaza operations.
Last month, Trump ordered a fresh wave of airstrikes just as Yemeni military forces announced resumption of their operations following a brief Gaza ceasefire that was abandoned by the occupying entity.
Yemeni resistance fighters, however, did not retreat. Instead, they escalated, targeting American warships—particularly the USS Harry S. Truman—and downing the expensive American MQ-9 Reaper drones that violated Yemeni airspace.
In April alone, Yemeni air defenses downed seven MQ-9 Reapers, bringing the total to 22 since the beginning of the Gaza war.
Trump recently warned of further escalation should Yemeni operations persist. He lauded US airstrikes—which have killed hundreds of civilians—as a “tremendous success.”
The Sana’a government, however, dismissed such claims, asserting it has not sustained “even one percent damage” at the military level despite intensified American assaults in support of what it calls the Gaza genocide.
The Newsweek report, citing a source, echoed that sentiment, stating US attacks have not impeded Yemeni operations and that American warships “are limited to protecting themselves or killing civilians.”
US report: Yemen downs seven Reaper drones worth $200mn in six weekshttps://t.co/QTP5nFs07e
— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) April 25, 2025
Ansarullah leader's warning
In a speech on April 4, Ansarullah resistance movement leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi urged Arab states not to ally with the US and Israel in any aggression against Yemen.
“The battle is between us and the Israeli enemy,” he reminded them.
“Any cooperation with the Americans in aggression against our country, in any form, is support for the Israeli enemy, it is cooperation with the Israeli enemy, it is conspiracy against the Palestinian cause."
Al-Bukhaiti also emphasized that the Yemeni Armed Forces are fully prepared for escalation, no matter how many fronts it involves.
“We are ready for the battle,” he said in an interview with The Grayzone published on Monday, “even if we have to wage it on three fronts.”
As tensions mount, it is worth noting what makes the Yemeni resistance so formidable: the widespread support it enjoys among the people. Across cities and towns, massive rallies in support of Ansarullah and the Palestinian cause are now a regular sight.
From Sana’a to Taiz, Hudaydah to Aden, ordinary Yemenis continue to show steadfast solidarity with almost-daily operations against Israel and its allies. The hardships of war have only deepened their resolve.
“The people are taking to the streets by the millions,” the Newsweek reported, “supporting these operations and demanding more.”
With such unwavering public backing and proven military strength, the question is no longer whether Yemen is ready—but whether Riyadh and Abu Dhabi truly comprehend the magnitude of the storm they risk unleashing.