Saudi Arabia has deep pockets and cutting-edge weapons yet for more than a decade it has been unable to quash Yemen’s battle-hardened Houthis.
The Iran-backed group has now attacked Riyadh with a missile strike, seized Yemen’s entire Red Sea coast and is blockading Saudi oil exports, seemingly unimpeded.
Experts say Saudi Arabia has struggled to rebuff the group in part due to its reliance on ineffective proxies on the ground, while rugged terrain and Iranian support have favoured the Houthis.
