Trump backs Saudi Arabia to handle Houthi attacks despite oil-supply risks
President Trump and regional allies view the Houthi threat as a local issue, leaving Saudi Arabia to confront the attacks on its cities and oil infrastructure alone.
President Trump and Saudi allies treat the Houthi insurgency as an internal Yemeni problem rather than an extension of the Iran conflict, so Riyadh faces the attacks on its cities, pipelines and refineries largely on its own. Experts explain that regional powers are wary of provoking Iranian or Houthi retaliation that could endanger civilian and energy infrastructure. Although Turkey and Pakistan signed the Mecca Agreement to defend Saudi Arabia, both have refrained from intervening, with Pakistan arguing the fighting predates the pact.
Saudi Arabia's modern arsenal, including American F-35 fighters and M1A2 Abrams tanks, has so far only limited the Houthis, who have seized the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and disrupted oil flow through the East-West Pipeline, pushing crude prices above $100 a barrel before easing. The United States, low on missile interceptors, plans to sell 48 F-35s to Saudi Arabia, but delivery will take years. Analysts warn that without broader support, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may find it difficult to counter the Houthi threat and its potential linkage to broader Iranian negotiations.
Why it matters
The conflict threatens global oil supplies and could draw major powers into a wider Middle-East confrontation.
How this story developed
- Sep 10 Yemen's multi-front war intensifies as Houthis and government forces vie for strategic strongholds
- Sep 13 Houthis announced a drone and missile strike on Saudi Sharurah military base.
- Sep 13 Saudi east‑west oil pipeline shut after a drone strike.
- Sep 13 Houthis allege Saudi forces carried out more than 50 attacks on their targets in a single day.
- Sep 14 In a post on X, the European Commission President condemned the Houthi assault on Saudi and American military sites, calling it an act of aggression. She stressed that the EU will continue cooperating with Gulf partners to ensure secure, free shipping through the Hormuz Strait. The statement also highlighted the broader goal of Middle-East stability, which the EU views as a shared interest. The Houthi group claimed to have launched dozens of ballistic missiles and drones, citing retaliation for Saudi air strikes in Yemen. Saudi officials responded by ordering air patrols in several southern regions.
- Sep 15 Houthi forces reported seizing the Greater and Lesser Hanish islands.
- Sep 15 Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met President Abdel Fattah al‑Sisi in Cairo to discuss Red Sea navigation and retaliation against the Houthis.
- Sep 16 Saudi civil defense issued emergency shelter warnings for Jeddah, Mecca and Taif.
- Sep 16 Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a drone aimed at Mecca and accused Iran-backed Houthi rebels of the plot, which the rebels denied.
- Sep 16 Saudi coalition announced a drone it said was Houthi‑linked was heading toward Mecca and triggered a brief security alert.
- Sep 16 Houthis seized coastal towns and islands at the mouth of the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
- Sep 19 Washington met Houthi envoys in Oman and secured assurances that American vessels would not be targeted.
- Sep 19 The Saudi Directorate of Civil Defence said the danger has passed in Riyadh and al‑Kharj and urged residents to continue following its instructions and avoid gathering or filming.
- Sep 19 The Houthis announced new missile and drone strikes on Riyadh and Yanbu.
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