RIYADH/CAIRO | Saudi Arabia is gaining military and diplomatic backing from regional allies as Iran-aligned Houthi forces intensify missile and drone attacks against the kingdom, while Tehran faces growing international pressure and new restrictions on its airlines.
Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani military chiefs are due to meet to discuss ways to support Riyadh under a joint defense agreement signed in August, Reuters reported. The move followed a statement from Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti urging the kingdom’s troops to be prepared to sacrifice their lives in fighting the Houthis until the group is removed from power.
The Houthis said they launched dozens of missiles and drones toward Saudi targets on Thursday. Saudi authorities said they intercepted six ballistic missiles, while emergency alerts were issued for areas including Mecca, Jeddah and Yanbu, a major Red Sea oil port.
The escalation has also drawn a broader regional response. Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani foreign ministers, meeting under the framework of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, condemned attacks targeting Mecca and other civilian locations and affirmed Saudi Arabia’s right to defend itself. The agreement states that an attack on one party constitutes an attack on all parties. Turkey’s defense ministry said its chief of general staff would travel to Saudi Arabia for talks with his Saudi and Pakistani counterparts. Reuters noted, however, that Turkey’s participation in the joint defense agreement has not yet been ratified by its parliament.
The developments came shortly after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian sought to distance Tehran from the Houthis in an interview with Fox News. Pezeshkian said the Houthis were responsible for their own actions, even as the group continues to be widely described as an Iran-aligned movement. Reuters reported that Yemeni government, Iranian and regional sources have said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps provided direct guidance to Houthi forces during their advance along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
The fighting is also affecting energy supplies and shipping. Reuters reported that Houthi attacks have disrupted maritime traffic near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, while restrictions on tanker movements through the Strait of Hormuz have affected a route that previously carried about 20% of global oil exports. The combined disruptions have squeezed Saudi oil exports and increased pressure on already strained global energy markets.
The latest confrontation is rooted in Yemen’s long-running civil war. The Houthis seized control of Sanaa in 2014 and expanded across much of northern Yemen. Saudi Arabia intervened militarily in 2015 at the head of a coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government. Years of fighting produced a severe humanitarian crisis, while a UN-backed truce in 2022 significantly reduced cross-border attacks without permanently ending the conflict.
The current escalation has opened another front in a wider Middle East conflict that began after US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February, according to Reuters. The Houthis have since expanded their military operations in Yemen and against Saudi interests, while Iran and the United States have separately been involved in stop-start diplomacy over the conflict and the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, pressure on Iran’s economy has increased. Reuters reported that Iranian airlines were barred from operating in neighboring countries including the United Arab Emirates and Oman following new US sanctions targeting companies in third countries doing business with Iran. The restrictions could further isolate Iran and deepen an economic crisis already worsened by restrictions on its maritime trade.
The developments leave Saudi Arabia confronting renewed attacks on its territory and energy infrastructure while seeking additional regional and international defense support. At the same time, diplomatic efforts involving Iran, the United States and other regional actors remain focused on preventing the conflict from spreading further across the Middle East.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
