WorldPosted at: Sep 17 2026 5:37PM


Saudi Arabia looks for military assistance, alternate export routes amid intensifying conflict with Houthis

Riyadh, Sep 17 (UNI) As Saudi Arabia continues facing mounting pressure from Iran's Houthi militants, the kingdom is seeking both military assistance and a secure route to export its crude, though there is no clear solution to either problem yet.
This comes as a key Saudi oil pipeline was reportedly shut down for weeks following an attack by Iran-backed militias in Iraq. The Houthis have also been targeting infrastructure inside the kingdom, as well as its shipping interests in the Red Sea, where they have seized several islands around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Iran, meanwhile, continues to target shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, while oil prices remain above USD $100 a barrel.
According to one regional official, Riyadh was currently caught in a "very difficult position" as it tries to work on protecting not only its military bases and critical government installations, but also its oil facilities.
A second official said Riyadh was trying to rally international allies behind a collective response to the Houthi attacks. For now, however, "the decision now is to give diplomacy a chance", the official said, adding that Oman and Egypt are leading efforts to de-escalate the conflict in Yemen.
"This is just not a Houthis versus Saudi Arabia issue," said Adam Baron, a fellow at Washington-based think tank New America, according to Times of Israel. "This is a matter of figuring out some way to guarantee wider patterns and pathways of international shipping."
Last weekend, Oman hosted a meeting between US and Houthi representatives to discuss regional tensions, according to two people familiar with the talks, including a Houthi official. They did not provide further details and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The British Prime Minister's spokesman, Tom Wells, said on Tuesday that London shares a "close defence partnership" with Saudi Arabia. He declined to say whether Riyadh had requested military assistance or whether British troops were currently stationed in the kingdom.
The prospect of wider military support is also complicated by existing shortages of missile interceptors. US and NATO officials have previously acknowledged critical shortages in Europe, raising questions over how much additional air-defence support European countries could provide.
According to an anonymous Turkish government official, Ankara was holding talks with Iran and the UAE in an effort to reduce regional tensions, though did not provide further details.
The latest attacks also come shortly after Turkey, Saudi, along with Pakistan signed the Mecca Defence Agreement, putting the pact in its first major potential test. So far, officials from Turkey and Pakistan declared that neither country had received a Saudi request for military assistance over the Houthi escalation.
Following the attempted attack on Mecca, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia stood "unwaveringly, shoulder to shoulder". Turkey's foreign minister also expressed solidarity with Riyadh, saying no country could "remain indifferent", according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.
The US has sold Saudi Arabia billions of dollars' worth of weapons and committed to other forms of support, but senior American officials have indicated that Washington does not want to become directly involved in the conflict.
US Vice President JD Vance said on Monday that Washington had been in "constant contact" with Saudi officials and had "engaged in direct conversations with the Houthis".
Asked whether Riyadh had sought US intervention, an American official said that CENTCOM had a task force focused on "enhancing intelligence sharing and planning support with Saudi forces".
The official also said the US military had hosted senior military leaders from eight countries in Germany the previous week to discuss "opportunities for enhancing security cooperation in the Middle East". The countries involved were not identified.
The Houthis claimed on Wednesday that they had shot down an F-15 fighter jet operated by the Saudi-backed coalition over Yemen's central Marib province, although they did not say when the incident occurred.
Video released by Houthi media channels appeared to show fighters pushing what the group described as the wreckage of an F-15 carrying a Saudi flag.
Spokespeople for the Saudi-led coalition and the Saudi government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Later on Wednesday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Saudi warplanes had carried out 40 airstrikes over the previous 24 hours, targeting the provinces of Taiz, Marib and Hodeidah.
Saree had previously claimed that Saudi Arabia had launched more than 450 strikes over the past week. He said the Houthis responded by targeting a Saudi airbase and a state oil company facility in Yanbu, on the Red Sea.
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