Exploring Saudi Arabia's Options in Yemen

The Saudi-led multinational coalition faces a difficult and challenging mission in Yemen. In the southern port city of Aden, forces loyal to embattled President Abd Rabboh Mansour Hadi are all but cornered. The militant al-Houthis have been extremely successful in rapidly expanding their sphere of influence, seizing Sanaa and Taiz, Yemen's two largest cities. Alarmed by the continued advances of the al-Houthi movement, which is bolstered by military forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Saudi Arabia and its allies launched an air campaign March 26. Having mustered over 100 combat aircraft and around 150,000 ground personnel, Riyadh intends to support and restore what it perceives to be the legitimate government of Yemen's president. At the very least, Saudi Arabia wants to prevent the al-Houthis from consolidating control over the core of Yemen.

Riyadh has several courses of action it can pursue to maximize its influence in Yemen, the most extreme of which is invading with a large ground force. Before making any decisions, however, the Saudis will have to weigh the benefits of such an operation while considering the inevitable risks.