West Asia war LIVE: Saudi Arabia warns it will react 'firmly' to Houthi attacks — SkimNews
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- Saudi Arabia warned on September 15, 2026 it will react 'firmly' after Houthi ballistic missiles and drones wounded 13 civilians in the kingdom's south
- The Houthis declared a maritime blockade on Riyadh and began targeting Saudi ships in the Red Sea when Yemen's civil war reignited in July
- Houthi forces seized control of Yemen's Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait last week, a strategic blow as the wider U.S.-Iran conflict chokes the Strait of Hormuz
- Saudi Civil Defence issued emergency alerts across six cities — Yanbu, Jeddah, Abha, Jazan, AlUla, and Taif — before sending an all-clear
- Yanbu, Saudi Arabia's main Red Sea oil port where millions of barrels are loaded daily, was among the cities placed under alert
Why it matters: Saudi Arabia's explicit warning signals potential military escalation on its southern border, with Yanbu — the kingdom's main Red Sea oil terminal handling millions of barrels daily — now directly in the crosshairs. The Houthis' grip on Bab al-Mandab combined with the U.S.-Iran war squeezing the Strait of Hormuz creates a dual-chokepoint threat to Saudi crude flows.
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