LONDON (Dispatches) -- Saudi Arabia is reportedly preparing for a large-scale military aggression against Yemen involving both land and naval components, with the stated objective of countering the Ansarallah-led Yemeni Armed Forces’ (YAF) blockade on Saudi shipping, according to a report by The Guardian.
Yemeni sources cited in the report said Saudi military forces had been withdrawing from eastern Yemen, a move they described as a possible preparation for a ground aggression. 
The sources said the troop movements included the concentration of forces for a potential invasion in Al-Bayda Governorate in central southern Yemen, an area administered by the Sanaa-based government since 2021.
The reports emerged as Saudi Arabia announced plans to establish a so-called multinational maritime coalition in the Red Sea. The Saudi Defense Ministry said an international meeting was held to discuss the initiative, with chiefs of staff and representatives from 43 countries, along with the European Union delegation, attending out of 51 invited countries and organizations.
Saudi Arabia also announced that 14 participating countries had issued a joint statement supporting the creation of the proposed military coalition. The ministry added that membership would remain open to interested states.
Among the countries supporting the initiative were Türkiye, Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan and Djibouti, while Riyadh has reportedly sought participation from the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and other Western countries.
However, Western diplomats cited in a Reuters report on July 29 said their naval forces were already overstretched.
The reported military preparations follow the announcement by the Yemeni Armed Forces earlier this month of a naval blockade targeting Saudi shipping in response to years of war and a prolonged siege imposed by Riyadh.
Saudi vessels have been struck several times in recent days. Sanaa has also carried out attacks against a Saudi airport and a major Aramco energy facility in retaliation for new Saudi airstrikes on Yemen. The strikes on the Aramco site caused a major fire and forced the facility to shut down.
Data released on July 26 showed that Saudi crude oil loading volumes at the Red Sea port of Yanbu had fallen by 40 percent, which was attributed to Yemen’s blockade and retaliatory operations.
Saudi Arabia launched its military campaign against Yemen in 2015 at the head of an Arab coalition after the Saudi-backed president fled Sanaa. The United Arab Emirates played a major role in the brutal campaign, which also received logistical support from the United States, Britain and Israel.
A Saudi-Yemeni peace process in 2023 came close to producing an agreement between the two sides, but talks later stalled. The process, however, prevented a major escalation for a period of time.
The Saudi-led war, which began more than a decade ago, resulted in widespread humanitarian consequences, including famine and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis, while failing to achieve Riyadh’s stated objective of defeating Ansarallah.
Following the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, Ansarallah launched operations against Israel and imposed a naval blockade on ships heading toward Israeli occupied ports, describing the move as support for Palestinians. The group also carried out operations in support of Lebanon amid Israeli attacks.
Major European naval operations and a previous US effort to establish a maritime coalition against Ansarallah failed to stop the group’s operations. A U.S. military campaign launched in 2025 under President Donald Trump also failed to weaken the Yemeni movement.
Ansarallah leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi warned Saudi Arabia on Thursday that any renewed large-scale war against Yemen would be met with a full escalation.
“Indicators show that the Saudis are heading toward full-scale escalation,” Houthi said, warning that “we will meet Saudi’s full escalation with full escalation.”
He added that Saudi Arabia would face severe consequences for continued aggression against the Yemeni people, while pledging that Sanaa would continue the “blockade for blockade” strategy against Saudi shipping.