While Saudi Arabia and its allies have caused numerous human disasters in the country over the past nine years, many are still questioning what Saudi achieved in Yemen?
March 25, 2015, is a date that will never be erased from the minds of Yemenis. On this day, Saudi Arabia began its war against the innocent people of Yemen by forming a coalition called “Operation Decisive Storm,” claiming that the main goal of the military intervention in Yemen was to restore legitimacy to the country. Now, ten years later, the question remains: what Saudi achieved in Yemen beyond devastation and suffering?
What Saudi Arabia Had Been Aiming For?
One of the most important goals of the Saudis and their allies was to destroy the resistance in Yemen or at least disarm it. Another stated goal of the Saudi military aggression in Yemen was to return “Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi” to power. At the same time, many point to the looting of oil and gas resources in southern Yemen as another significant motivation behind Saudi actions. When reviewing what Saudi achieved in Yemen, it’s impossible to ignore these initial ambitions.
The Saudis predicted that they would achieve all their predetermined goals in the Yemen war in a very short span of time. However, the determined resistance of the Yemeni people and the steadfast stand of the Houthis, along with the Yemeni army and popular committees, collapsed all the aims of Riyadh.
Not only did the Saudis fail to achieve their predetermined goals in these 10 years, but they also found themselves caught in the swamp of the Yemeni war, now grasping at any opportunity to exit this costly conflict at the lowest price possible.
During the last decade, they did not succeed in returning their puppet, “Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi,” to power, nor did they manage to disarm the resistance in Yemen. This failure is central to any honest assessment of what Saudi achieved in Yemen.
Buying Arms and Budget Deficit
Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia has bought more than $100 billion worth of weapons from the United States. ($30 billion directly from U.S. government/FMS and $35 billion more via U.S. manufacturers)
From 2016 to 2020, Saudi Arabia accounted for nearly 24 % of U.S. arms exports, totaling almost $37 billion.
In addition, during this period, the Saudis have spent billions more buying weapons from other Western countries, including France and the UK. By 2025, Saudi Arabia’s total war spending, including military operations, arms purchases, and direct costs, has exceeded $365 billion.
Altogether, Saudi Arabia has purchased more than $63 billion in American arms, all without any meaningful progress on the ground—raising serious questions about what Saudi achieved in Yemen, besides fueling a humanitarian catastrophe and facing a growing budget deficit.
Recent reports indicate that the war in Yemen has cost the Saudis more than $365 billion since 2015. The ongoing conflict imposes a massive financial burden on Saudi authorities every month—a cost ultimately shouldered by ordinary Saudi citizens through economic austerity.
The Saudi leadership has long realized that they won’t achieve anything through the continued war in Yemen. As this realization set in among the kingdom’s political and military leadership, a new strategy emerged—one that included intensified airstrikes and a devastating impact on Yemeni civilians.
Humanitarian Crisis
The International Red Cross has warned repeatedly about the worsening humanitarian situation in Yemen, emphasizing that two-thirds of people in Yemen have almost nothing to eat—that’s over 20 million people. According to the latest statistics from Yemen’s Ministry of Health, as a result of 10 years of continuous military aggression, more than 120,000 civilians have been killed or injured. This figure includes over 17,500 children killed and thousands more left disabled.
In this decade, much of Yemen’s infrastructure—including hospitals, roads, bridges, mosques, and schools—has been destroyed. Throughout this period, the international community has largely remained silent in the face of these crimes, raising further questions about the legacy of what Saudi achieved in Yemen.
What Saudi Did—and What Did It Achieve?
Saudi Arabia’s blockade on ships carrying Yemeni fuel has prevented vital resources from reaching Yemeni ports, further deepening the humanitarian crisis. The lack of fuel has forced many health and treatment centers to close, endangering thousands of lives every day. The ongoing three-way blockade has led to severe shortages of food and medicine, creating an unprecedented humanitarian disaster.
All these actions have been carried out by Saudi Arabia and its allies in Yemen for 10 years. Yet after all this time, none of the stated goals of the aggressors have been realized. When examining what Saudi achieved in Yemen, the answer is clear: the war has resulted in mass suffering and devastation, not the political or military victories that were once promised.
Source: Qatarajel