Relationship dossier
Saudi Arabia
Yemen
Relationship assessment
A relationship shaped by Saudi support for Yemen’s recognized government, intervention in the conflict, and continuing security tensions.
Saudi Arabia toward Yemen
-45Saudi Arabia has supported Yemen’s internationally recognized government with military and financial assistance, while leading the coalition intervention against Houthi forces beginning in 2015. Saudi Arabia has also pursued direct diplomacy with Houthi representatives, including talks in Sana’a in 2023.
Yemen toward Saudi Arabia
-35Yemen’s internationally recognized government has cooperated with Saudi Arabia and requested its military intervention against the Houthis. Houthi forces, which control substantial territory and operate as a de facto authority, have launched attacks on Saudi territory, complicating any single account of Yemeni policy toward Saudi Arabia.
Overall relationship
-40The bilateral relationship combines a formal border settlement and sustained Saudi support for Yemen’s recognized government with Saudi military intervention and Houthi attacks on Saudi territory. Yemen’s divided governance makes the relationship uneven: cooperation with the recognized government coexists with conflict involving the Houthi de facto authorities.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Saudi Arabia has backed Yemen’s internationally recognized government, including through military and financial support, while also leading a military intervention against Houthi forces from 2015. Houthi attacks on Saudi territory and the divided authority within Yemen have sustained serious security tensions. The 2000 border treaty and subsequent Saudi diplomacy, including talks with Houthi representatives, are important cooperative elements, but have not displaced the conflict’s central role in the relationship.
Areas of tension
- Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen and its impact on the conflict.
- Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi territory.
- Disagreements over the future political and security arrangements in Yemen.
Key developments
Saudi Arabia and Yemen signed the Jeddah Treaty, resolving their border dispute.
Saudi Arabia began leading a military coalition intervention in Yemen against Houthi forces.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Southern Transitional Council signed the Riyadh Agreement under Saudi auspices.
Saudi officials held talks with Houthi representatives in Sana’a as part of efforts to reduce the conflict.
Major uncertainties
- The long-term scope and implementation of a Saudi-Houthi settlement remain unclear.
- The extent of coordination between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s internationally recognized government varies amid Yemen’s divided political and military authority.