A commercial vessel is anchored off Yemen’s coast at Bab al-Mandeb, in the straits connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean on Sept 12.
Saudi Arabia vowed on Sept. 15 to respond “firmly” to attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, after the Iran-backed fighters wounded 13 people in the kingdom, as Riyadh turns to its regional and Western allies for support.
The Houthis have been engaged in renewed fighting with Saudi-backed government forces since Yemen’s civil war reignited in July, when the group declared a maritime blockade on Riyadh and began targeting its ships in the Red Sea.
They seized control of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait last week, which has become vital as the wider U.S.-Iran war chokes the Strait of Hormuz.
The Houthis have also targeted the oil infrastructure of Saudi Arabia, the world’s leading crude exporter, pushing oil prices above the $100 threshold.
In the wake of developments, Saudi Arabia turns to allies to find support against the Houthis.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Cairo on Sept. 15.
The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement was signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye in August. Egypt has recently been reported to be considering joining the alliance, while Türkiye has said the agreement remains open to other countries in the region.
Bloomberg on Sept. 14 reported that U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham is weighing Saudi Arabia’s requests for military support against Houthi attacks.
The U.K. fears further Houthi control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait could have a “catastrophic” impact on global shipping and oil prices, hurting the economy as the new government seeks to ease the cost-of-living crisis.
So far, London has approved only the deployment of British military advisers to Saudi Arabia, despite Riyadh’s requests for operational support, the report said.
It came a week after tnews outlet Axios reported that U.S. President Donald Trump rejected a request Salman for strikes against Houthi fighters in Yemen.
Washington will provide Saudi Arabia with intelligence on the Houthis and targeting data, and more than 200 U.S. military personnel are already in Saudi Arabia providing “non-kinetic support,” according to a U.S. official cited by Axios.
A Houthi strike in western Yemen on Sept. 14 killed eight government soldiers, according to two military sources.
The group also claimed a new large-scale attack using “dozens of ballistic missiles and drones” against King Khalid airbase in Khamis Mushait, in southern Saudi Arabia.
In the early hours of Sept. 15, the Saudi civil defense issued air-raid alerts in six regions, before lifting them.
The Riyadh-led coalition confirmed there had been missile and drone attacks the previous day on Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif, reporting 13 civilians wounded and damage to seven houses and two vehicles.
Saudi Arabia responded with more than 50 strikes, as it had the day before, according to the Houthis.
The coalition said it would deal with the attacks “firmly to protect the sovereignty of the Kingdom” and would take “all necessary operational measures to deter this... hostile and extremist approach.”
