• Yemen’s Houthis have attacked what they called “sensitive” sites across Saudi Arabia, including the capital, Riyadh, and Aramco oil facilities in the port city of Yanbu.
• The Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted a ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh and foiled other attacks on the cities of Bisha, Taif, Farasan and Yanbu.

Saudi response to Houthi attacks will be ‘sequenced’ and ‘massive’

Nawaf Obaid, a senior research fellow at King’s College London, says Saudi Arabia and its allies are putting together a coordinated military response to recent Houthi attacks, arguing that Riyadh is less isolated than it may appear.

“There is a coalition coalescing around the threat on how to properly respond to what the Houthis have been doing,” he said.

Obaid said the response “is coming”, adding: “It is going to be sequenced. It is going to be massive. It is going to be fused together, and it’s going to be land, sea and air.”

The analyst said countries had already begun moving weapons systems into Saudi Arabia and deploying fighter jets into the Red Sea, identifying Turkiye as a key participant and Egypt as a possible partner in a more limited operational role.

He also said additional forces were being positioned along the Saudi-Yemen border.

“To the untrained eye… it seems that they’re alone,” he said. “But if you actually do a deep dive into what is happening on the ground, it’s a very different picture.”

He said preparations were taking time because a high-intensity campaign involving multiple forces could “very easily spiral out of control”.

Houthis intensify attacks on Saudi Arabia, citing air raids and ‘insidious lies’ on Mecca

According to a statement issued by Yahya Saree, the spokesperson for Ansar Allah, as the Houthi movement is officially known, two sensitive Saudi targets were hit with ballistic missiles, drones and cruise missiles.

This is the first time in several months that the group has used cruise missiles. Videos circulating on social media appear to show plumes of smoke coming from King Khalid International Airport, as well as from Aramco oil facilities in Yanbu.

The group had said it will target Saudi Arabia’s most precious jewel, its most prized asset – the Aramco oil facilities – and it seems to be following through and intensifying its attacks on a weekly basis.

The message from the Yemeni group is that despite the Saudi bombardment campaign across Yemen, it will continue to step up its attacks and meet escalation with escalation.

These attacks are not just a protest against Saudi air attacks. According to Saree, it’s also a response to what the group calls insidious lies and propaganda from Saudi Arabia that accused Ansar Allah of targeting the holy city of Mecca. The leader of the Ansar Allah movement, Abdel-Malik al-Houthi, has said that the Yemenis will hold Saudi Arabia accountable for this lie and said they reserve the right to respond to these accusations.

And they appear to be responding with more military actions and with more missiles, drones and ballistic missile attacks – all targeting Saudi Arabia where it really hurts.

Yemeni refugees strain Djibouti’s resources after fleeing renewed war

Nearly 3,000 people have fled Yemen since fighting resumed this month, making the dangerous sea crossing to Djibouti, with some rescued after running out of fuel at sea.

Having escaped air attacks, shelling and street battles, hundreds of families are now crowded into a temporary shelter in the northern town of Obock.

Saudi Arabia seeking US targeting support, not more weapons

Nawaf Obaid, the former adviser to the Saudi government, says Saudi Arabia is preparing for what he described as a “sequenced, sustained, major air campaign” against the Houthis, and their request for US assistance is focused on intelligence and targeting support.

“The ask from the Americans wasn’t about ammunition,” Obaid said. “They don’t need more military weapons.”

“What they need is aid in target packaging and confirmation,” he said, pointing to geospatial analysis, mapping and other technical support needed to sustain such a campaign.

Obaid said this helps explain why there has been little visible direct US military involvement despite Saudi Arabia seeking support from Washington.

He also said preparations were already beginning to translate into more coordinated operations.

‘The Saudis thought the Americans would defend al-Makha’

William Lawrence, professor of international relations at American University, says Saudi Arabia failed to respond quickly enough to the Houthi offensive in Yemen because it assumed Washington would deal with the threat.

“There were several wires that were crossed and things that went wrong,” the former US diplomat said.

“The Americans thought the Saudis would defend al-Makha, and the Saudis thought the Americans would defend al-Makha,” he said. And when Trump declined Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s call for help, “that meant the Saudis were reacting late to get in to defend there,” he said.

He added that Saudi Arabia’s new command and control structure over the anti-Houthi coalition, which was supposed to bring new defense measures and coordination, also “seems to have fallen apart at the beginning of the lightning raid by the Houthis moving down the western coast towards Bab-el-Mandeb”.

Saudi counteroffensives have since begun, he said, but have so far had limited success in retaking territory captured by the Houthis.

“Again, I don’t think that’s an underestimate of what the Houthis can do. It was a lack of response in real time at the scale of what they were facing,” Lawrence said.

Houthis attacks on Saudi Arabia

• The Houthis have claimed attacks on “sensitive sites” across Saudi Arabia, hours after large plumes of smoke were seen near the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday.
• The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said the kingdom’s air defences “intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile” launched by the Houthis towards Riyadh at dawn on Saturday.
• The announcement marked the first reported Houthi strike on Riyadh since the latest round of hostilities began in July. The Yemeni group also claimed an attack on Aramco facilities in Yanbu.
• The Saudi-led coalition meanwhile said it thwarted attempts by the Houthis to target the cities of Baish, Taif, Farasan and Yanbu. It did not say if there had been any damage.
• The Houthis have been launching attacks against Saudi Arabia since declaring a naval blockade against Saudi shipping in July. The attacks have targeted cities, military bases and energy infrastructure across the kingdom.

Yemen government condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

Yemen’s internationally recognised government has condemned “in the strongest terms” attacks on Riyadh on Saturday morning, describing them as a “blatant violation” of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty.

In a statement, Yemen’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it holds the Houthis responsible for the attack, adding it “also holds the Iranian regime responsible for continuing to provide them with military support and enabling them to continue their attacks in service of its regional agenda”.

It also expressed support for any measures Saudi Arabia and the Saudi-led coalition forces take to “deter the attacks and protect the kingdom’s security”.

Yemen joins Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain and the Gulf Cooperation Council in condemning the attacks. Yemen’s internationally recognised government receives ongoing military and coalition support from Saudi Arabia.

"US may getting involved militarily in the Houthi-Saudi conflict in Yemen"

William Lawrence, a former US diplomat, about the Houthi-Saudi hostilities in Yemen. He says Washington is likely to get involved in the conflict despite Trump reportedly declining a Saudi request to attack the Houthis.

A professor of international relations at American University and former senior US diplomat, says the United States is likely to become more militarily involved in the confrontation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis.

“I think they will at some point,” Lawrence said. “They’ve shown in the past they’re willing to engage on Yemen when it affects their own interests.”

He pointed to the link between the conflicts in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb to the global economy, as well as US security commitments to Saudi Arabia.

Lawrence said there was a growing view in Washington in the last couple of days that the US “needs to do something” to help protect Saudi Arabia and prevent the Houthis from consolidating their gains.

“What form that takes is not clear,” he said.

But Lawrence said Washington was already deeply involved, with about 100 US military advisers in Saudi Arabia and extensive intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support.

“So, it wouldn’t be too much of a ramp-up for the Americans to get further involved,” he said.

Notice the bold marks.

Unlikely Saudi allies will get ‘directly involved in kinetic military action’

Mohamad Elmasry, a professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, says the Houthis’ targeting of Saudi Arabia’s capital is “significant” but it doesn’t mean the fighting is about to escalate.

“I think this is a warning shot from the Houthis to say to the Saudis we have the potential to shut down your entire oil industry,” he told Al Jazeera.

The US joining the war against Yemen’s rebels is “unlikely although I wouldn’t rule it out, especially the longer this goes on”, he added.

“My sense is the United States doesn’t want to get tangled up in another war front right now,” Elmasry said, adding it’s also not likely other Saudi allies will intervene militarily.

“The Saudis are kind of stuck. They’ve reached out to numerous allies. Allies are producing some measure of support – logistics support, intelligence, weapons – but it doesn’t look like the Pakistanis or the Turks or the Egyptians or the Americans, or anyone else, wants to get directly involved in kinetic military action,” said Elmasry.

“The Houthis have been very clear from the start that they are not planning to shut down Bab al-Mandeb to anyone except the Saudis. So I would be surprised if there’s some significant deployment.”

‘Very sizeable Saudi response’ to Houthi attacks on the way

Nawaf Obaid, senior research fellow at King’s College London, said that Saudi Arabia’s retaliation to Houthi attacks from Yemen will be “massive” and coordinated with coalition partners.

Flames and ⁠thick smoke were seen near the Saudi capital’s main airport after authorities issued alerts warning of potential danger around Riyadh on Saturday.

UN Security Council has condemned the Houthis’ continuing attacks on Saudi Arabia saying they caused civilian casualties, including women and children, and damaged energy infrastructure.

Middle East nations condemn Houthi attack on Riyadh

Egypt, Jordan, and Kuwait say the Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia’s capital was a threat to regional security and stability and a violation of international law.

The nations in separate statements said their governments stand with Riyadh in support of its sovereignty and protection of civilians.

The Muslim World League also condemned the attack as a violation of “all religious values as well as international and humanitarian laws and norms”.

It was the first time the Saudi capital has been targeted since the escalation in fighting in July. Saudi Arabia said the attack was intercepted. Some residents in Riyadh heard an explosion, and later some saw a plume of smoke near the airport.

There were no reports of casualties or damage.

Turkey backs Saudi Arabia’s security amid escalating Houthi attacks

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says Ankara is studying how to support the kingdom under a trilateral defence pact that also includes Pakistan.

“We see there are very serious attacks on Saudi Arabia’s territorial integrity, sovereignty. We have an alliance agreement in our pact. We are in serious solidarity on this point… They may have some military needs, especially on some technical issues. We would have no issues in meeting these,” Fidan told broadcaster NTV.

“Frankly, we condemn such provocative attacks carried out against Saudi Arabia even though it did not attack anyone. We also do not accept having this situation turned into part of the ongoing dispute and conflict between Iran and the United States,” he added.

“At this stage, as members of the Mecca Alliance, we are closely monitoring the situation. We are engaged in certain discussions and consultations that have not been made public.”

Turkey says its ready to assist Saudi Arabia militarily under new Mecca defense agreement

Turkey says it is ready to help meet Saudi Arabia’s military needs as Riyadh faces escalating attacks from Yemen’s Houthis, potentially putting a newly signed Mecca defense pact to its first major test.

Last month, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, which treats an armed attack on any of its three member countries as an attack on all three, amid growing regional tensions.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Saudi Arabia may require military assistance, particularly on “technical issues”, and that Ankara would have no problem providing it.

Turkey’s support for Saudi Arabia likely to remain ‘defensive’

Turkey's role in supporting Saudi Arabia against Houthi attacks is likely to be “defensive, technical and most probably indirect”, academic Ismail Numan Telci said.

Telci, a professor at Ibn Haldun University, noted Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s remarks on Riyadh’s military needs, especially on “technical issues”, point to Ankara’s strengths in “air defense systems, counter-drone and electronic warfare capabilities, radar and surveillance, and maritime security”.

He said Turkey can also play a diplomatic role in helping de-escalate the ongoing fighting, leveraging channels to Tehran and the wider region that “Washington lacks” – alongside Fidan’s record in conflict mediation.

On the Mecca joint defense pact, Telci said activation is “possible in principle but complicated in practice”, stressing that Turkish and Pakistani parliamentary ratification is still required.

Last month, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed the Mecca Defense Alliance, which treats an attack on any of its three member states as one on all three during growing regional tensions.

Qatar strongly condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

The Foreign Ministry of Qatar has strongly condemned the Houthis’ ballistic missile attack on Riyadh, as well as the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure in the cities of Bish, Taif, Farasan and Yanbu.

In a statement, the ministry called the attacks a “blatant violation” of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and a clear breach of international law, expressing its “full solidarity” with the kingdom and its support for all legitimate measures it takes to protect its security and interests.

“The Ministry underlined that the State of Qatar vehemently rejects assaults on civilians and civilian assets, underscoring the importance of halting these irresponsible actions immediately,” it added.

Italy ‘not at war’ in Red Sea region, foreign minister says

Italy is “not at war” in the Red Sea, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani says, but he urged the European Union to strengthen its naval mission protecting merchant shipping in the strategic waterway.

“No, we are not at war,” Tajani told Italian daily Corriere della Sera when asked about a recent attack involving an Italian fighter jet, and Houthi statements that they are not at war with Italy.

Tajani’s comments follow a Houthi strike on the Taif airbase in Saudi Arabia, which reportedly damaged an Italian F-2000 (Eurofighter) aircraft on the ground.

The European Aspides mission was created as a defensive operation to protect merchant ships transiting the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb from potential Houthi attacks. He said Italy would continue supporting the mission “in the face of the worsening situation in the strait” and called for the EU to renew and strengthen it.

“We have a strong strategic interest: 40 percent of Italy’s entire commercial maritime traffic and 60 percent of the goods we export to Asia pass through the Red Sea,” Tajani said.

Yemeni government forces claim strike on Houthi position

Forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognized government say they struck Houthi “elements” and equipment in al-Bayda governorate.

A video posted on X by government forces appears to show a warplane striking Houthi targets in central Yemen.

The country is currently experiencing its most serious spell of fighting since 2022 when a United Nations-brokered truce halted eight years of a war that killed tens of thousands of people.

US embassy in Saudi Arabia issues security alert for Taif and Yanbu

The US embassy in Saudi Arabia has issued a security alert requiring special authorization for government employees travelling to Taif and Yanbu.

The security alert said it was “due to the ongoing security situation in Saudi Arabia”.

Yemen’s Houthis launched an attack near Riyadh’s main airport on Saturday.

Houthi-run media says four killed, three injured in attacks

Yemeni government forces struck telecommunication towers across the al-Jawf governorate, killing four people and wounding three, according to Houthi-affiliated broadcasters al-Masirah.

Houthis declare ‘blockade for blockade’, demand Saudi compensation

Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the Houthis’ Supreme Political Council, says that Saudi Arabia will “pay compensation” for the “unjust blockade” on Yemen and said they have declared a new “equation of blockade for blockade and escalation for escalation”.

In a live address, al-Mashat said that Yemen is moving forward “to end the Saudi aggression and unjust blockade on our country; reopen airports and ports; restore its national resources; pay compensation; respect sovereignty and withdraw from every inch of occupied territory”.

He said that the council affirms that maritime navigation and international trade in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb “are safe and will face no danger from Yemen, with the exception of Saudi enemy vessels” and that they “have the full right to do so until this criminal regime desists”.

Mecca agreement could boost Saudi Arabia’s military with Turkiye’s expertise

The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement could provide Saudi Arabia with further military capabilities through Turkiye, Rob Geist Pinfold, a lecturer on international security at King’s College London, has said.

“Turkiye can offer Saudi Arabia precisely the kinds of capabilities Riyadh currently needs most: technical support for air and missile defence, drones and electronic warfare, intelligence and logistics, as well as potentially greater naval cooperation in the Red Sea,” Pinfold said.

He said that though the agreement remains untested and discussions between the allies are unclear, Riyadh still “prefers a diplomatic solution to these escalations”, and “a package of defensive and technical support that demonstrates the pact has substance” could be the way the agreement gets activated.

Ankara, Pinfold suggests, could play that role without immediately “drawing Turkiye into another regional war”.