A Saudi official denies the American newspaper’s account of negotiations with the Houthis and financial demands amounting to $51 billion, while the timing of the publication raises questions about the objectives of the leaks and their impact on the course of the war in Yemen.

RIYADH | BETH

November 5, 2026

A Saudi official denied the accuracy of what the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal published regarding negotiating contacts between the Kingdom and the Houthi group, stressing that the report “has no basis in truth and is a figment of its authors’ imagination.”

The newspaper had published a report alleging that Saudi Arabia contacted the Houthis to explore their conditions for ending the confrontation, and that the group demanded $51 billion, along with Saudi recognition of it as the ruling authority in Yemen, in exchange for ending hostilities.

The report relied on sources whose identities were not disclosed and discussed what it described as the difficulty of the military and political options facing Riyadh, as well as the limited willingness of some of its allies to participate in offensive operations against the Houthis.

The report was published as Operation “Dawn of Yemen” continues. The Yemeni government announced that the operation's one-month results included 40,761 targeting operations, the neutralization of approximately 20,000 Houthi members and commanders, and the destruction or disabling of more than 5,000 military vehicles and pieces of equipment.

Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi also affirmed that operations would continue until Sana'a is recaptured and Houthi control over Yemeni territories is ended.

BETH Analysis | Why Was This Narrative Published Now?

The timing and content of the report raise questions that go beyond the accuracy of information attributed to anonymous sources.

Influencing the Perception of Power

Portraying the Houthis as a party demanding tens of billions of dollars and political recognition gives the group, in media terms, the position of a party imposing its conditions, at a time when the Yemeni government is announcing the results of extensive military operations targeting its capabilities, confirming that operations continue to advance according to plan, and that reclaiming Yemen from the terrorist Houthi militia represents a strategic objective of Operation “Dawn of Yemen.”

Did the Newspaper Make a Mistake?

The professional problem does not lie in publishing information from undisclosed sources, as this is a recognized practice in investigative journalism. Rather, it lies in the strength of the evidence supporting the information, the way it is presented, and the distinction between confirmed facts and baseless conjectures.

The conclusion: The battle for Yemen is not decided by military figures alone, nor by media narratives, but by what is achieved on the ground and what the facts establish.

The newspaper's reports represent an attempt by an unknown party, and they may constitute paid propaganda advertisements, or their author may be a “deluded” individual immersed in illusions and mistaken assumptions, in an attempt to influence the perception of the balance of power and convince the audience of an image suggesting Houthi strength. These narratives fall within a series of lies and propaganda that have continued throughout the Yemeni government's war against the militia.

The Houthis have repeatedly published misleading narratives concerning military movements and operations, which the Yemeni government has promptly refuted, relying on conclusive evidence from the battlefield that disproves Houthi propaganda and reveals the reality of what is taking place on the ground.