Saudi Arabia established military investigative committee after Houthis rout on Yemen coast

Lebanese newspaper al-Mudun reported that Saudi Arabia established a high-level military investigative committee to determine how the Yemeni forces it supports quickly collapsed on the western coast of Yemen after the Houthis seized the city of al-Mokha and strategic islands in the Red Sea and in the Bab al-Mandab area.

According to reports, the committee has already begun operating in Riyadh and is expected to move to Aden, where it will investigate officers, field commanders and intelligence personnel from the forces who fought under the command of Tariq Salah. The investigation will focus on the level of coordination between the factions, the functioning of the joint operations room, withdrawal decisions and intelligence failures that allowed the Houthis to advance.

According to the newspaper, Yemeni Deputy Defense Minister General Samir al-Haj was suspended from his position pending the completion of the investigation, after responsibility was attributed to him for drafting misleading situation reports. Tariq Salah, commander of the 'National Resistance' and member of the presidential leadership council, was summoned for questioning in Riyadh and required to explain the withdrawal of his forces, which were estimated in reports at between 50,000 to 60,000 fighters. The sources claimed that Riyadh was surprised by the magnitude of the collapse, partly because the joint operations room received misleading reports stating that the situation on the ground was 'normal.'

From the initial investigation cited in the newspaper, it emerges that the collapse resulted from the lack of unified command, withdrawals of various units and lack of coordination between forces. According to al-Mudun, Salah's forces withdrew in several sectors even before direct confrontation, leaving the 'Giants' and 'Homeland Shield' forces in difficult situations and leading to widespread withdrawal and Houthi seizure of abandoned positions.

Following the rout, Yemen's government and Saudi Arabia agreed to establish a new joint operations room that would supervise the forces and unite their activities. According to sources, there is currently no immediate plan for a counterattack to reclaim the western coast and Bab al-Mandab, with Saudi priority being to stabilize defense lines, protect Marib and southern provinces and prevent further collapse. Riyadh is also examining establishing a new military force intended in the future for an attempt to recover the lost areas.