In Light of the Equation of a Port for a Port… Calculating the Cost of Gain and Loss in the Riyadh-Sana’a Round

Yemeni forces have begun to outline the features of a new strategy in the confrontation with Saudi Arabia after years of war and siege. But what is the balance of power in the new equation?

Exclusive – Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:

Minutes after the Saudi airstrikes targeted Hodeidah Port and Kamaran Island early Saturday, the Yemeni forces responded with large-scale operations targeting Jizan and Yanbu ports, two of the most important and largest Saudi ports on the Red Sea.

These developments revealed a Yemeni strategy different from the past, based on responding in kind, decisively and firmly. Targeting Yanbu and Jizan ports meant responding to Hodeidah Port with an additional response for Kamaran Island.

Simply put, Saudi Arabia appears to be the weaker party in the equation. All its ports and oil facilities on the Red Sea are exposed to Yemeni forces. On the other hand, Yanbu and Jizan are not just import and export ports. Yanbu has become the lifeline for Saudi oil in recent months, exporting about 9 million barrels per day out of about 10 million that were mostly pumped through the Gulf before the closure of Hormuz.

Jizan is no longer just a container port but has become one of the most important arteries for importing food and supplies for Gulf countries with the closure of ports on the Gulf.

In contrast to these active ports, which receive dozens of ships daily, the Yemeni ports on the Red Sea coast, specifically Hodeidah, are almost paralyzed. Since the start of the Saudi war on Yemen in 2015, despite its importance as the only effective maritime outlet for Yemen and serving millions of citizens in the north, Saudi Arabia has imposed a siege, sometimes by targeting it and taking it out of service, and other times by preventing ships from reaching it or imposing sanctions against those heading to the port, the least of which is detaining them for weeks at Jeddah or Djibouti ports under the pretext of inspection.

In reality, despite what Hodeidah Port receives in terms of supplies, however limited, its functioning as a port with full capabilities has become non-existent, especially in light of the repeated attacks by the quadruple alliance (American, Israeli, Saudi, and British).

On the operational level, it appears that the Yemeni forces, with their missiles and drones, are ready for a swift response to any Saudi aggression and have already defined a rich and important target bank.

In simple terms, Saudi Arabia appears, despite its military capabilities in the air and sea, to be the weaker link in the confrontation. A few raids on a civilian port that has already been hit by the most powerful American and Israeli bombs are nothing compared to the consequences that will result and the capability Yemen has shown in its latest response.

Saudi Arabia may be trying to portray its ability to strike Yemen whenever it wants, but it is certain that it is paying a heavy price. In return for the port, although the leaders in Sana’a speak of the equation of a port for a port, the facts appear different, as one port was met with two ports.