Saudi Arabia Vows ‘Firm’ Response as Houthi Attacks Wound 13

Saudi Arabia Vows ‘Firm’ Response as Houthi Attacks Wound 13

Saudi Arabia has pledged to respond “firmly” to a wave of Houthi missile and drone attacks that wounded 13 civilians in the kingdom’s south, as the Iran-backed group tightens its grip on the Bab al-Mandab Strait and pushes oil prices above $100 a barrel.

The Saudi-led coalition said it would take “all necessary operational measures” to protect the kingdom’s sovereignty after Monday’s strikes on Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif — three southern cities far from the Yemeni border. The attacks injured 13 civilians, damaged seven homes and two vehicles, and triggered air-raid alerts across six Saudi regions, including Jeddah, Yanbu, Jizan and AlUla.

According to coalition spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Maliki, Houthi forces launched “dozens of ballistic missiles and drones” at civilian and military targets in southern Saudi Arabia. A resident of Khamis Mushait told Agence France-Presse he heard “intense blasts” that left fires burning for a “long time”. “Honestly, we couldn’t sleep at all,” he said. Saudi air defences intercepted multiple projectiles, but falling debris caused civilian injuries. Civil Defence lifted the alerts by Tuesday morning, saying the danger had “passed”. The coalition retaliated with more than 50 airstrikes on Houthi-held areas, according to Houthi sources — matching the scale of the previous day’s bombardment.

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The renewed fighting has far-reaching consequences beyond Yemen’s borders. Houthi forces have seized Mayyun Island, along with Greater and Lesser Hanish and Zugar Island, giving them control of all three key islands at the southern entrance to the Bab al-Mandab Strait. They have also captured the port city of Mokha and the coastal town of al-Khawkhah, completing their takeover of Yemen’s entire Red Sea coast. The timing is critical. With the wider US-Iran war choking the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab al-Mandab has become a vital artery for Saudi oil exports. Houthi attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure have already pushed oil prices above $100 per barrel**, while average US diesel prices topped **$6 for the first time. Saudi Arabia has shut down its East-West pipeline as a precaution following attacks in the Riyadh and Medina regions — a move that further constrains the kingdom’s ability to export crude.

The human cost of the renewed conflict continues to mount. The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that 93,864 people have been displaced since fighting reignited in July, with the heaviest impact in Ta’iz and Lahj governorates. UN monitors verified 40 civilian casualties — 8 deaths and 32 injuries — between 1 and 14 September. Women and children accounted for half of those killed and more than half of the wounded.

A member of the Houthi Political Bureau declared that “Yemen’s response will continue and escalate” until Saudi Arabia stops its “aggression” against the Yemeni people. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed the attacks were retaliation for more than 300 Saudi airstrikes in Yemen over the past five days. The Houthis, who seized Yemen’s capital Sanaa in 2014 and sparked a civil war that has become one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, remain undeterred by Saudi air power.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Tuesday to discuss regional developments. But hopes of a broader de-escalation remain slim. US media reported last week that President Donald Trump had rejected a personal request from the Saudi crown prince to intervene in the war. Trump said on Monday he was open to talks with Iran, but Tehran’s top security chief Mohsen Rezaei responded that “there will be no negotiations until Iran’s conditions are met”. A proposed meeting between Gulf states and Iran over the future of Hormuz was postponed on Monday, with Tehran accusing Riyadh of using Yemen as a pretext to delay the talks.

Saudi Arabia faces a difficult path. Its airstrikes have so far failed to deter the Houthis’ advance, and the kingdom’s oil-dependent economy is increasingly vulnerable to disruption. With the Strait of Hormuz closed and the Bab al-Mandab now under Houthi control, the world’s leading crude exporter is navigating its most dangerous security environment in years. For ordinary Yemenis and Saudis alike, the cost is measured not only in oil prices but in lives, homes and displaced families.