Saudi Arabia Seeks Foreign Help Against Houthi Missiles and Drones as Trump Weighs Striking Yemen
Britain is sending Typhoon jets, Egypt is assisting, and Israel has offered help. Riyadh wants more interceptors. Rubio says every country wants them and the U.S. has its own needs.
Saudi Arabia is leaning on allies to stop Houthi missile and drone attacks, and the pressure is moving toward Washington.
Fox News reports that Britain said Tuesday it will send Typhoon fighter jets to defend Saudi cities and key infrastructure. Egypt is already helping and Israel has offered. Riyadh is asking the U.S. for more interceptors, and President Trump is weighing whether to strike the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen directly.
The attacks. Fox cites the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project as saying Houthi strikes and attempted strikes on the kingdom more than doubled in one week this month. Airports in Riyadh, Jizan, Najran, Dammam and Abha have been targeted since Oct. 5. The worst hit, on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, killed at least 13 and wounded more than 300. Energy facilities have also been hit.
The gap. Saudi Arabia spent an estimated $83.2 billion on defense last year, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, and has F-15s, Patriot batteries and advanced radar. Jason Campbell of the Middle East Institute says the region was ready for Iran's high-end ballistic missiles but "decidedly less prepared" for cheaper, lower-flying threats. Farea Al-Muslimi of Chatham House says a small group "can impose enormous costs without having to spend very much."
The interceptor shortage. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Saudi Arabia, Israel and the U.S. all want interceptors: "Every country in the world would like interceptors." He said American forces must keep minimum air-defense levels at bases worldwide and "we have our own needs too."
Trump's options. Asked this month if the U.S. could join Saudi strikes on the Houthis, Trump said, "We may. We're gonna look at it." Campbell points out that the U.S. ran a roughly 60-day campaign against the Houthis in 2025 with, in his words, limited strategic benefit. He says a new one would compete for resources with the war with Iran and need clearer goals. The U.S. now provides intelligence and targeting support to Saudi Arabia.
The politics. Al-Muslimi says Saudi Arabia would find it hard to accept Israeli help openly, given its role as custodian of Islam's two holiest mosques.
Humanitarian toll. Fox cites the U.N. as saying more than 250,000 people have fled the renewed fighting in Yemen. WHO recorded at least 674 deaths and nearly 3,000 injuries in six weeks from August to September.
Caveats. The analysts quoted are outside experts, and this report does not include a Houthi or Saudi government statement.