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Yemen’s Houthis (Ansar Allah) have demanded $51 billion from Saudi Arabia as compensation for years of military operations and a blockade, alongside formal recognition of their authority over Yemen, as the kingdom seeks to negotiate an end to renewed hostilities, The Wall Street Journal reported on November 5.
Citing people familiar with the discussions, the newspaper said Riyadh had approached the movement to establish what it would take to reach a negotiated halt to the fighting.
The $51 billion figure was presented as compensation for the damage caused by years of Saudi airstrikes and the blockade imposed on Yemen, according to the report, which noted that other figures have also been discussed, but the group has maintained that any agreement would require compensation in the tens of billions of dollars.
In addition to the financial demand, the Houthis asked Saudi Arabia to formally recognize them as Yemen’s ruling authority, effectively requiring Riyadh to accept the group as the government of its southern neighbor.
The demands come after the group intensified attacks on Saudi targets and expanded its territorial control in strategically important areas overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The WSJ report described the negotiations as reflecting the increasingly difficult position facing Saudi Arabia as it struggles to contain the movement’s military advances.
The Houthis have pushed toward Aden, the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, bringing their forces to within approximately 80 kilometers of the port city. The advance places the group closer to Aden than at any point since it seized parts of the city in 2015.
The newspaper also cited a near-daily campaign of attacks against Saudi Arabia throughout October, including strikes targeting civilian airports and facilities belonging to state oil giant Saudi Aramco.
Some of the attacks caused fires and damage at energy infrastructure, while disruptions to airports affected travel to the kingdom.
According to Ameneh Mehvar, a senior analyst at the conflict monitor ACLED, there were 26 reported incidents inside Saudi Arabia in recent days alone.
The military pressure has complicated Saudi Arabia’s efforts to assemble a force capable of reversing the group’s advances.
The United Arab Emirates withdrew from the anti-Houthi campaign in December of last year, while Pakistan has refused to participate in offensive operations inside Yemen. Turkey’s parliament has yet to approve the defense arrangements under the Mecca Pact, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has limited his country’s proposed military assistance to defensive missions. Washington has also declined to provide direct military support.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is reportedly reluctant to enter negotiations without first securing military gains that could strengthen Riyadh’s position. However, the prospect of deploying additional Saudi ground forces into Yemen carries the risk of heavy casualties and domestic backlash.
The latest report follows earlier accounts of a potential Saudi financial offer to the movement. On October 27, Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported that Riyadh had offered Ansar Allah $1 billion through Iranian mediation in exchange for a ceasefire and an end to attacks on Saudi territory.
The proposal was reportedly linked to earlier understandings involving financial assistance for public-sector salaries in areas under the movement’s control and reconstruction of civilian infrastructure.
Saudi Arabia confirmed that Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman had visited Tehran for talks with Iranian and regional officials, but did not confirm the reported payment or the terms of any agreement.
The contrast between the reported $1 billion proposal and the $51 billion compensation demand underscores how sharply the balance of leverage has shifted. Saudi Arabia, which intervened in Yemen in 2015 seeking to defeat the Houthis and restore its preferred government, is now approaching the group to negotiate an end to hostilities while struggling to find military partners capable of reversing the group’s advances.
With the Houthis maintaining the battlefield initiative in southwestern Yemen, strengthening their positions around Bab al-Mandab and continuing to threaten targets inside the kingdom, the negotiations reflect a group increasingly capable of dictating the terms of any settlement.
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ansarallah take aden it’s over for saudi backed opposition.
just effing brilliant. whoo hooo. i hope they stick it to the saudis good and proper.
looks like someone answered that ‘wake up’ call. they’ll have to let ksa rebuild their oil infrastructure first before they can pay. they’re effectively broke at the moment.