Brett Erickson: Saudi Arabia Is Incapable of Protecting Its Depth, and Any New Escalation Will Cost It Heavy Prices

Exclusive Follow-ups – Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:

The Managing Director of “Obsidian Risk Advisors,” specializing in global risk monitoring, Brett Erickson, said that the past twenty-four hours have witnessed “truly exceptional events” in the Middle East between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Ansar Allah (the Houthis).

Erickson explained in a post on the X platform that “Riyadh, Jeddah, Abha, Al-Ula, Jazan, Yanbu, Khamis Mushait, Taif, and the Farasan Islands.. all of them have been crushed by Ansar Allah,” asking: “What is this? Even the capital, Riyadh? Yes. Oh my God.”

He added that “what we are witnessing now is that Saudi Arabia is completely incapable of defending itself against Ansar Allah’s attacks,” considering that this matter is “astonishing given Saudi Arabia’s military budget and equipment,” but at the same time it is “extremely dangerous.”

Erickson indicated that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “faces a real threat to his control over the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” explaining that the world has been following, specifically during the past week, “Ansar Allah’s complete control of the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait, a vital waterway leading to the Red Sea.”

He continued, saying that the world has also followed “the targeting of the Saudi oil pipeline that connects the east of the Kingdom to its west,” the line that allowed oil to be transported from the east of the country to its west, “bypassing the Strait of Hormuz threatened by Iran.”

He noted that the current scene is that “Ansar Allah attack everything in Saudi Arabia whenever they want,” adding that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “looks foolish, a loser.”

Erickson said that “all the money in the world cannot fix that now,” adding that “it is true that he can theoretically pump money to Ansar Allah, lift the siege on Yemen, and stop interfering, manipulating, and tormenting a sovereign Yemeni state, but that will not compensate for the severe blow to his reputation during the past week.”

Erickson suggested that Saudi Arabia is “on the verge of a major Saudi escalation in Yemen.”

But he cautioned, saying: “If the past weeks are any indication, that will only lead to more destruction in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and global energy markets that are already on the brink.”