Tensions in the Arabian Peninsula and Red Sea are escalating after Yemen’s Houthis claimed missile and drone attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia, prompting Riyadh to call an urgent high-level meeting with Turkey and Pakistan to discuss strengthening its defences.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry said the armed forces chiefs of the three countries would meet under their existing trilateral defence agreement following the latest attacks by Ansar Allah, commonly known as the Houthis.
Houthis claim attacks on Riyadh and Yanbu
The Houthis said they had launched missile and drone attacks against what they described as a “sensitive target” in Riyadh, as well as facilities belonging to oil giant Saudi Aramco at the Red Sea port of Yanbu.
The claim came hours after Saudi authorities announced that six ballistic missiles fired towards Taif province and Yanbu had been intercepted.
Saudi Arabia has so far not confirmed an attack on its capital and has announced no casualties or damage resulting from the missile attacks.
Saudi grand mufti issues stark message
Amid the heightened tensions, Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan al-Fawzan, the kingdom’s most senior Wahhabi religious authority, issued an unusually forceful message to the country’s armed forces.
According to the official Saudi Press Agency, he called on military personnel serving near the Yemeni border to be prepared to sacrifice even their lives in defence of the kingdom and in confronting the Houthis.
“Defending this great nation and punishing anyone who lays a hand on even an inch of its territory is among the most important duties,” he said.
He added that restoring the authority of Yemen’s internationally recognised government was among the kingdom’s most important obligations.
The grand mufti also called for the “total defeat” of the Houthis and those supporting them.
Speculation grows over wider military operation
The remarks have fuelled speculation about the possibility of a broader military escalation in Yemen.
Observers have increasingly questioned whether Saudi Arabia could launch a large-scale ground operation alongside forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
Riyadh has also recently accused the Houthis of attempting to strike Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, an allegation denied by the Yemeni movement.
The latest escalation comes amid heightened instability across the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia strengthening its diplomatic and military contacts with regional partners as concerns grow over the possibility of further Houthi attacks.
