Yemen’s Saudi-Backed President Calls On Citizens To Mobilize, In Sign Of Desperation

The Ansar Allah movement, commonly called the Houthis, have remained the most recognizable name and force in Yemen of late, but lesser known among many headline consumers is the country’s internationally recognized government, which is directly backed by the Saudis and recognized by the United Nations.

Rashid Al-Alimi, ​president of the ‘legitimate’ government based out of Sanaa, ‌on Friday called ​on ‌all Yemenis to ⁠mobilize and join the armed ⁠forces against the Houthi rebels’ onslaught.

The general call to arms, coupled with a declaration of ​future ‌general ‌amnesty to any Houthi fighters who decide to lay down their weapons and defect – suggests that the Saudi-backed coalition seeks desperate measures.

“I call upon the sons of our great people to engage in general mobilization and national mobilization, to rally around their armed and security forces,” Al-Alimi, who is also Supreme Commander of the Yemeni Armed Forces, said in a speech.

Things quickly went from bad to worse for Riyadh on the Yemen front this month, especially after Houthi rapid gains along the Red Sea coast.

After some direct drone or missile hits on the East-West pipeline earlier in September (which may have been Iraqi Shia militias, per US officials), Saudi Aramco told European refineries that it would cancel crude shipments in October. But Reuters has since reported that the pipeline has restarted.

The Saudis are currently trying to rally support from Mecca Defense Pact allies Pakistan and Turkey, though its anything but clear how much support these will actually commit.

In the midst of all this, somewhat unexpectedly, French President Emmanuel Macron declared he would send “military means” to help shield the vital Yanbu oil terminal from Houthi attacks – though it’s unclear what precise difference a handful of ground units might make.

More Houthi ballistic missiles were launched on Saudi Arabia this week:

L’Arabie saoudite a dit avoir intercepté une attaque de missiles tirés du #Yémen voisin par les Houthis pro-iraniens. Les défenses aériennes ont abattu six missiles visant les régions de Taïf et de Yanbu.

Emmanuel #Macron a déclaré y envoyer des “moyens militaires”… pic.twitter.com/P76NzF7RIy

— FRANCE 24 Français (@France24_fr) September 25, 2026

“We are going to send military resources, that is to say, soldiers, radar systems and defense systems, to protect this site,” but “not to get us involved in any conflicts,” Macron informed French media.

But instead they could just find themselves in the direct line of fire for Houthi projectiles.