Luciano Zaccara, an associate professor of Gulf politics at Qatar University, stated that the Houthis are employing various strategies, including attempting to control territory and resisting government counter-offensives. He noted that the Houthis are trying to demonstrate their ability to attack different locations within Saudi Arabia simultaneously, showing unexpected strength. Zaccara believes that Saudi Arabia wants to avoid another prolonged war because they cannot afford it as they could in the past. He added that the Houthis have proven on the ground that they "cannot be defeated," and Saudi Arabia now needs to push government forces to retake Sana'a and continue supporting them in destroying Houthi military facilities, while defending its own territory from attacks without the explicit support of allies.