PDB Afternoon Bulletin | July 31st, 2026: Report - Saudi Arabia Eyes Ground Invasion Against Houthis & Is Hamas Ready to Disarm?

**Mike Baker** (0:11)
It's Friday, the 31st of July, the end of yet another month. Well done. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, Saudi Arabia may be preparing to reenter a war that it's spent years trying to leave behind. Riyadh is reportedly considering a much broader military campaign against the Iran-backed Houthis, potentially marking one of the kingdom's most significant strategic shifts since the 2022 truce with that Iranian-backed group. If those plans move forward, they could open another major front in the region's widening confrontation with Iran. Later in the show, President Trump says Hamas has finally agreed to disarm as part of his Gaza peace plan. But Hamas says it was a catch. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. On this morning's show, we discussed Saudi Arabia's proposed Red Sea Coalition to respond to the escalating threat of the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. And now, it looks like it may have only been the kingdom's opening move. New reporting suggests Riyadh is preparing a much broader military campaign, one that could include both a naval offensive and the kingdom's first major ground operation against the Iran-backed Houthis in years. According to reports from The Guardian and other regional media, Saudi forces have recently been repositioning inside Yemen, including withdrawing troops from the country's eastern regions, where they've maintained a presence since late 2017
Saudi forces are reportedly now concentrating near the governorate of Al-Baita in central southern Yemen, which has served as a Houthi stronghold since 2021 Yemeni sources say those movements could signal preparations for a broader offensive, though Saudi Arabia has not publicly confirmed that a ground campaign is imminent. The reports come just one day after Riyadh announced a new multinational maritime coalition aimed at protecting commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait from escalating Houthi attacks. As we covered earlier on the PDB, the coalition reflects Saudi Arabia's growing belief that securing one of the world's most important shipping lanes has become an international responsibility.
But if these latest reports prove accurate, they also suggest Riyadh is preparing for the possibility that a defensive naval mission alone will not be enough to deter the Houthis, as the broader security environment continues to deteriorate. Over the past two weeks, the Iran-backed Houthis have dramatically expanded their campaign against Saudi Arabia. The group has declared a maritime blockade against Saudi-linked shipping, claimed responsibility for attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, and launched strikes against Saudi energy infrastructure, including facilities connected to the kingdom's east-west oil export network. Saudi Arabia has responded with retaliatory air strikes against Houthi positions in Yemen, and more recently, coordinated strikes against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, following attacks on Saudi oil facilities. Yet, despite those operations, the attacks have continued. If Riyadh is now preparing a broader military campaign, it would represent a significant shift in strategy for a country that has spent years trying to avoid being pulled back into Yemen's civil war.
Saudi Arabia first intervened in Yemen back in 2015, after the Iran-backed Houthis seized the capital of Sana'a and forced the country's internationally recognized government from power. Backed by a coalition of Arab states, Riyadh launched a military campaign intended to restore that government and roll back Houthi gains. Instead, the conflict settled into a costly and bloody stalemate that lasted for years, drew widespread international criticism and failed to decisively defeat the Houthis. A UN-backed truce, reached in 2022, dramatically reduced the fighting, and although it later expired, both sides largely maintained an uneasy status quo in the years that followed. Since then, Saudi Arabia has focused on reducing tensions, pursuing diplomacy and creating regional stability needed to support Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 economic transformation.
That history helps explain why reports of a possible new offensive are so significant. Despite the recent escalation, Saudi officials continue to insist they're seeking to avoid a wider regional war.
During urgent meetings this week with President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman reportedly reiterated Riyadh's support for diplomacy, arguing that the broader dispute between Washington and Tehran can still be resolved through negotiations. But Saudi leaders also appear increasingly concerned that restraint alone is no longer enough. The Houthis have not only resumed direct attacks on the kingdom after years of relative calm, they've also targeted the very export routes that Saudi Arabia has come to rely upon, as instability in the Strait of Hormuz has grown. For Riyadh, the question is no longer simply about protecting merchant ships. It's about defending the infrastructure and maritime corridors that underpin the kingdom's economy. Even so, analysts caution that another ground campaign would carry enormous risks. Michael Stevens, a senior Middle East security advisor at the Royal United Services Institute, notes that Saudi Arabia has seen this play out before, telling the German outlet DW, quote, I suspect the ending will be the same, a lot of money spent, many lives lost, and eventually the realization that both sides will have to talk, end quote.