The Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, in an article by writer Federico Rampini, said that Saudi Arabia remains in a continuous military predicament against the Yemenis despite the vast disparities in capabilities, attributing this to the asymmetry in the cost of confrontation, the fracturing of the coalition, and American responsibilities, in addition to Yemen’s ability to sustain its attacks and impose a constant threat on Saudi interests.

The report links the continuation of Yemeni strikes to the widening scope of pressure on Saudi Arabia, pointing to the Yemenis’ control of the coastline overlooking the Red Sea, as well as their shelling of Riyadh and a facility belonging to Aramco in Yanbu. The writer cites four reasons explaining Saudi Arabia’s continued exposure to military pressure from Yemen.

The newspaper explains that the asymmetry of tasks and costs represents one of the most prominent reasons behind the Saudi predicament, as Riyadh is required to protect oil wells, pipelines, refineries, airports, water desalination plants, and cities spread across a vast area, while the Yemenis need only retain a number of missiles to keep the threat alive, in addition to the major disparity between the cost of drones and the cost of interceptor missiles used to shoot them down.

The newspaper notes that military pressure has so far failed to subdue the Yemenis, pointing out that Israeli bombardment has strengthened their image among their supporters as defenders of the Islamic world.

In contrast, the report presents two conflicting readings of the course of the confrontation. Foreign Affairs sees a military resolution as unrealistic, and argues that Yemeni gains may push them to insist on their demands, while developments in recent weeks indicate the continued advance of Yemen.