Houthi attacks and no Western support: What are Saudi Arabia's options ?

To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Cover image: Large plume of black smoke rises from the fuel storage area at King Khalid International Airport, in Riyadh REUTERS - Stringer 07:48 Issued on: 20/09/2026 - 14:24Modified: 20/09/2026 - 14:26 The US has warned that fighting between Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Houthis could rapidly escalate. It comes after a missile attack targeted Riyadh for the first time since the Yemen conflict resumed. The Houthis' lightning offensive seized swathes of Yemeni territory in recent weeks and has left hundreds dead. In the face of such attacks and with no support from its American ally, what are Saudi Arabia’s options? Keywords for this article