RIYADH, Sep 15 – Saudi Arabia is seeking stronger regional support as escalating Houthi attacks threaten shipping and oil infrastructure around the Red Sea, adding pressure to a kingdom already dealing with disruptions to one of its major export routes.
Crown Prince MBS met Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo on Tuesday, with the two leaders discussing the security of maritime traffic through the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The meeting came as the Iran-aligned Houthi movement expanded its military presence along Yemen’s western coast and stepped up attacks against Saudi-linked shipping and infrastructure.
The latest developments have raised concerns about the movement of oil from Saudi Arabia toward Asian markets. They have also contributed to wider uncertainty in global energy markets at a time when attacks around the Strait of Hormuz have already disrupted another major oil transit route.
The Saudi and Egyptian leaders said they shared a commitment to protecting freedom and security of navigation in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb. Egypt’s presidency also reiterated Cairo’s support for Saudi Arabia, although neither government announced a specific military or security arrangement following the meeting.
Saudi Arabia Faces Growing Pressure Along Red Sea Route
The Houthi campaign has developed into a significant new challenge for Saudi Arabia after the group made rapid territorial gains in Yemen during the past week.
Houthi fighters recently seized the Red Sea port of Mokha and took control of three strategically important islands in and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to Yemeni and regional officials. The developments give the group greater access to a maritime area that connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean.
The location is particularly important for Saudi Arabia because the kingdom has used the Red Sea as an alternative route for moving oil toward international customers, especially in Asia.
The situation became more serious after an attack damaged Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline, the country’s main system for transporting crude from fields in the east toward the Red Sea coast. Regional officials said repairs could take weeks, potentially keeping several million barrels of oil a day away from normal export routes.
The pipeline attack was reportedly carried out by Iran-aligned militias in Iraq, adding another dimension to the security problems confronting Riyadh. Saudi Arabia now faces threats from several directions, while Houthi attacks are creating additional risks around the maritime routes used to transport energy.
Saudi officials have so far avoided launching another large-scale military operation in Yemen. The kingdom has reason to be cautious after years of fighting against the Houthis failed to produce a decisive military outcome and exposed Saudi territory to repeated missile and drone attacks.
The latest attacks, however, are putting that approach under increasing pressure.
Saudi military spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said Tuesday that Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed a drone before it entered the airspace over Mecca. He described the security of the holy city as a “red line” and said Saudi forces would respond to hostile activity.
The Houthis denied launching drones toward Mecca.
Egypt Offers Political Support as Military Options Remain Unclear
The meeting between MBS and el-Sissi reflects the importance of Egypt to Saudi Arabia at a time when Riyadh is looking for wider regional backing.
Egypt has a direct interest in the security of the Red Sea. The country relies heavily on revenue from the Suez Canal, and attacks on commercial vessels in recent years have already caused a substantial reduction in traffic through the waterway.
Cairo is also one of the few major Arab governments that has maintained working relationships with a wide range of regional parties. That position has allowed Egypt to participate in diplomatic efforts during successive crises involving Israel, Iran, Yemen and other countries.
Analyst H.A. Hellyer said Saudi Arabia was unlikely to ask Egypt to send troops into Yemen, given the difficulties such a deployment would create. Instead, he said, Cairo could provide political support among Arab governments if Riyadh decides to take stronger action against the Houthis.
Egyptian backing could therefore become important if Saudi Arabia attempts to build a broader regional response without recreating the coalition that fought in Yemen beginning in 2015.
That earlier coalition eventually weakened because of disagreements among its members and rivalries between different Yemeni factions. The United Arab Emirates, once a major participant alongside Saudi Arabia, has since withdrawn from the conflict after disagreements involving its Yemeni partners and Saudi-backed forces.
Saudi Arabia is also looking at its relationship with Washington as it considers its options. U.S. President Donald Trump has faced pressure over the broader Middle East conflict and has shown reluctance to expand the fighting into another major regional campaign ahead of congressional elections.
That has left Riyadh confronting a difficult security calculation. A stronger military response could potentially push the Houthis to intensify attacks against Saudi oil facilities, ports and other infrastructure. A limited response, meanwhile, could allow the Houthis to consolidate their gains around Bab el-Mandeb.
At the United Nations, Yemen’s Ambassador Abdullah Al-Saadi urged the Security Council to enforce an arms embargo against the Houthis and condemn the latest escalation.
Al-Saadi questioned whether the international community would allow one of the world’s key trade and energy gateways to become a means of pressure in the hands of an armed group.
Houthi Advances Renew Yemen’s Long-Running War
The escalation is also having serious consequences inside Yemen, where the conflict had largely declined in intensity following a 2022 truce.
The Houthis control Sanaa and large areas of northern and western Yemen, including territory where much of the country’s population lives. Forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government maintain control over much of the south and east, including Aden and major oil-producing areas.
The recent Houthi advances have pushed Saudi-backed forces into a defensive position and increased the possibility of a wider return to civil war.
The World Health Organization said fighting between Houthi forces and Saudi-backed groups killed more than 500 people during the most recent week, compared with nearly 200 the previous week. The fighting has also displaced nearly 94,000 people, according to humanitarian assessments.
Save the Children reported that at least 117 civilians, including 19 children, were killed between Aug. 1 and Sept. 9. The organization said 43 children were killed or wounded during the first week of September, making it the highest weekly casualty figure recorded by the group in Yemen in a year.
“Children are once again paying the highest price,” said Rishana Haniffa, Save the Children’s Yemen director, describing the latest violence as among the most severe the country has experienced in years.
Anees al Asbahi, spokesman for the Houthi-run Health Ministry, said Tuesday that Saudi airstrikes killed three people, including two children, in Yemen’s Taiz province. The claim could not be independently verified.
The humanitarian crisis adds another complication for Saudi Arabia as it weighs its response. Riyadh’s military intervention in Yemen, which began in 2015, produced years of intense fighting without restoring the internationally recognized government to control of the country. The conflict killed an estimated 150,000 people and contributed to conditions that brought Yemen close to famine.
Now, the Houthis are using their strengthened position along the Red Sea to put pressure on Saudi Arabia and threaten a maritime corridor that carries both commercial goods and energy.
For Egypt, the stakes are also substantial. Any prolonged disruption in the Red Sea could further reduce Suez Canal traffic and deprive Cairo of badly needed revenue, while continued attacks could force shipping companies to take longer routes around Africa.
The crisis therefore links the interests of Saudi Arabia and Egypt more closely than before. Riyadh is concerned about its oil exports and national security, while Cairo faces the prospect of renewed losses to its vital maritime economy.
For the moment, Egypt has offered political support rather than a military commitment. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, must decide whether diplomacy can contain the Houthi advance or whether the expanding threat to its oil routes will force a broader response.