Saudi-backed Yemeni government declares all-out war on Ansar Allah (Houthis)

[Financial News] The Saudi-backed Yemeni government has declared a large-scale military operation against the pro-Iranian Ansar Allah (Houthis) rebels. As the war involving Iran continues, the opening of a new front in Yemen is raising the possibility that the United States of America could become more deeply involved in the conflict.
The New York Times (NYT), a U.S. daily, reported on the 4th (local time) that "the Saudi government has deployed more than 200 intelligence and military analysts from the United States of America to command centers inside the country to support military operations in Yemen." According to current and former U.S. officials, the analysts are helping the Saudi government analyze and select targets as it supports Yemeni government forces. The United States of America is also providing aerial refueling for defensive air patrols by Saudi fighter jets.
Rashad al-Alimi, head of the Yemeni government, said in a televised address that "Yemeni government forces are conducting military operations to retake territories taken by Ansar Allah (Houthis) over the past 12 years." Several hours later, Major General Turki Al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen, said, "Saudi Arabia has the right to defend itself against attacks by Ansar Allah (Houthis)," adding, "We will provide full operational support to Yemeni government forces until Ansar Allah (Houthis) are eliminated."
Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a political leader of Ansar Allah (Houthis), condemned the move, saying, "Saudi Arabia is waging war in Yemen to exert influence over the country and interfere in its sovereign decision-making."
This is the second attempt by the Yemeni government, backed by Saudi Arabia, to wage war against Ansar Allah (Houthis). In 2015, a Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen, but as the war dragged on, hundreds of thousands of people died from violence, hunger and disease. The coalition also failed to defeat Ansar Allah (Houthis).
Saudi Arabia has reportedly sent a military advisory team to Yemen again to coordinate ground operations by Yemeni government forces. Ansar Allah (Houthis) warned that it would attack Saudi oil facilities if Saudi Arabia attacked Yemen. The group claimed that day that it had attacked oil facilities in Riyadh and the Khurais area, located 150 kilometers southeast of Riyadh. Yahya Saree, a spokesperson for Ansar Allah (Houthis), said, "We launched ballistic missiles and drones at facilities belonging to Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company."
Against this backdrop, the fighting appears on the surface to be a clash between the Yemeni government and Ansar Allah (Houthis), but some analysts say the United States of America and Saudi Arabia are behind the Yemeni government, while Iran is backing Ansar Allah (Houthis). Their assessment is that the armed conflict between the United States of America and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz and the nuclear issue has expanded into a proxy war in Yemen. The New York Times predicted that "the Yemeni government's operation could further complicate the dynamics of the war being waged by the United States of America and Israel against Iran."
[email protected] Hong Chae-wan Reporter