Southern Separatist Fighters Are Driving Saudi Gains Against the Houthis, by Ahmed Al Salah – 6 October 2026

From New Lines Magazine

Riyadh’s latest victories in Yemen relied on UAE-backed forces that want their own state, raising questions about who will ultimately benefit

Saudi media appears to be celebrating major victories against the Houthis in Yemen. On Oct. 5, forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government said they had retaken key positions around Bab al-Mandab and the port city of Mokha from the Houthis, with substantial air support from a Saudi-led coalition. The Giants Brigades were among the forces involved on the ground.

Yet many details that will be important in determining what happens in the coming days remain unclear.

Yemen has historically been an arena of long-term conflict, where wars are not won or lost overnight. The latest Saudi achievement should not be understood simply as part of a bilateral Saudi-Houthi confrontation. And without diminishing the significance of the Saudi-backed advance, these recent events deserve closer attention if we want to understand what is happening and how the different parties may respond to the latest developments.

The Saudi conflict with the Houthis is not bilateral but multidimensional, and the spillover effect from conflicts elsewhere in the region is clear. Saudi Arabia has been fighting the Houthis for more than a decade, though the acceleration of events following the war with Iran has been significant, as events over the last week have emphasized.

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Ahmed Al Salah is a research assistant in the Harvard University History Department and a researcher with the Arab Political Science Network.

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