An Arsenal the Size of a Peninsula, Yet Unable to Defend: Where Does Saudi Arabia's Weakness Stem From?

Despite having one of the world's most expensive military arsenals, extensive purchases of American weapons, and an allocation of $83 billion for military spending in 2026, Saudi Arabia has been unable to prevent missile and drone attacks by Ansar Allah forces on targets, including airports across the country. The attacks have once again raised questions about Riyadh's defensive capabilities against growing threats.

According to the report of Ambassador Arjan, quoted by the Associated Press; Despite having one of the most expensive and advanced military arsenals in the world, Saudi Arabia has not been able to stop the wave of missile and drone attacks by Ansarullah forces from Yemen in recent days. The country has spent billions of dollars buying American fighter jets, missile defense systems and advanced military equipment, but recent attacks on Saudi airports have left at least 14 dead and forced students and business owners to stay home to avoid attacks.

Ansarullah forces, which operate with the support of Iran, were once considered a scattered militia group, but now they have become a powerful military force. The group's attacks on Saudi Arabia, the largest oil producer in the region, have caused damage and jeopardized the security of vital routes for the transfer of goods and energy in the Red Sea. These attacks have also increased the risk of resuming a large-scale war in the Arabian Peninsula; A war that previously displaced millions of people and left tens of thousands dead.

Ansarullah targets Saudi Arabia because Riyadh supports Yemeni government forces; The government that this group is trying to overthrow. Now, Saudi Arabia must decide on how to respond to these attacks and the possibility of the group's next actions, while examining the reason for the failure of its air defense to counter the Ansarullah attacks.

Saudi Arabia has a large arsenal of American weapons

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Saudi Arabia is the largest buyer of American weapons in the world. According to the statistics of this institute, between 2021 and 2025, Saudi Arabia received 12% of the total arms exports of the United States.

According to the information of this think tank, which monitors the transfer of weapons in the world, Saudi Arabia has purchased American F-15 fighter planes, Patriot air defense systems, advanced radars and offensive missile systems from the United States over the past years.

In the annual budget of Saudi Arabia for 2026, the amount of 83 billion dollars is considered for military expenses. The country also signed a $9 billion deal with Washington earlier this year to buy 730 Patriot missiles.

But Saudi Arabia has to defend a vast territory

The forces of Ansarullah have been able to take advantage of the large size of Saudi Arabia.

Vulnerable energy facilities, civilian targets, and military centers are scattered throughout the country's sparsely populated territory; A land whose area is almost three times the size of the state of Texas. Saudi Arabia's border with Yemen also stretches for more than 1,300 kilometers and passes through rough desert areas.

Ali Shahabi, a Saudi analyst, wrote in a message on the Internet on Monday: "Expecting that a country the size of Saudi Arabia can intercept all missiles is simply unrealistic. "No defense system can guarantee complete protection."

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Regional officials say Saudi Arabia's stockpile of interceptor missiles is running out, and Riyadh is looking to its allies to meet its needs.

Saudi Arabia has recently signed a joint defense pact with Pakistan and Turkey, but it seems that these two countries have not played much of a role in the recent conflict and their support for Riyadh has been limited.

US President Donald Trump also announced this week that he is considering the possibility of US participation in Saudi attacks against Ansarullah forces; However, no decision has been taken yet.

The weapons and tactics of Ansarullah forces have been tested on the battlefield

Ansarullah forces, like Iran, rely on their capabilities in the field of drones and missiles, and use asymmetric warfare methods. In such an approach, the goal is not necessarily to defeat the Saudi army or overthrow the government of this country; Rather, inflicting a blow on the Saudi economy and creating insecurity and fear among its people can also be a leverage for Ansarullah to have an upper hand in possible negotiations to end the conflicts.

Ansarullah forces have a large arsenal at their disposal that is capable of targeting targets at a distance of more than a thousand miles, equivalent to about 1,600 kilometers. Some of the missile warheads of this group change direction during the flight and create more challenges for air defense systems.

Since October 2023 and the beginning of the Gaza war, Ansarullah forces have fired hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel. Most of these attacks were intercepted, but some rockets and drones passed through Israeli defenses and hit targets. In one of these attacks, an Israeli man was killed. Last year, one of Israel's airports was attacked.

Andreas Craig, a professor at King's College London, believes that the Ansarullah forces' experience in dealing with Israel's advanced air defense systems has given them more confidence and skill to attack Saudi Arabia.

"They've learned how to disable radars with the sheer volume of attacks," he said.

Ansarullah forces have also targeted Saudi oil facilities in cooperation with their allied militias in Iraq; including a vital pipeline that is used to export oil through the Red Sea, in a situation where traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is restricted. Ansarullah forces have also captured areas of Yemen near Bab al-Mandab, an important waterway in the Red Sea; An action that puts more pressure on Saudi oil exports.

Saudi Arabia seems to have made a miscalculation

Michael Ratney, the former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, says Riyadh assumed Ansarullah forces would not target civilian targets, such as airports. According to him, this action indicated a "fundamental change in the pattern of conflict".

Ratney, who now works as a consultant at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Saudi Arabia is now in a position where it must respond to attacks while trying to prevent the conflict from spiraling out of control.

"They cannot let the attack go unanswered," he said. Their main enemies have attacked them in a very brutal way. "They should put military pressure on Ansarullah's forces and then find a way to reduce the tension."

Several analysts have said that instead of sending ground troops to Yemen, Saudi Arabia is likely to launch airstrikes against Ansarullah forces and increase its support for nationalist forces.

"It will be a proxy war," Craig said.

Ansarullah forces have now become a powerful force

Although the forces of Ansarullah do not reach the level of Saudi Arabia in terms of firepower, but with the help of Iran, they have become a terrifying force that controls about one-third of Yemen's territory.

The United Nations estimate shows that Ansarullah's forces had reached a maximum of 350,000 by 2024. This figure has increased significantly compared to 2015, when Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen's civil war against Ansarullah forces and in support of the country's recognized government by the international community and implemented a naval blockade of Yemen. The number of Ansarullah forces at that time was only 30,000.

Ratni says that Ansarullah forces now have a "symbiotic" relationship with Iran, and they should not be seen as Iran's puppets.

The attacks on the airports and economic assets of Saudi Arabia are a symbol of the exchange of experience and lessons learned from the asymmetric war between the forces of Ansarullah and Iran; From how to bypass expensive air defense systems to damaging vulnerable energy facilities and threatening international shipping lanes.

Ratni said: "The Iranians have innovated in this field over the past few years and shared their achievements with Ansarullah forces; This process has been two-way. Ansarullah's forces have also made innovations and provided them to the Iranians. It is not a coincidence that they have finally reached a similar approach.

Fara al-Moslami, a researcher at the Chatham House Institute who focuses on Yemen issues, said recent military successes have made Ansarullah's forces feel "untouchable."

"It's very difficult to convince someone who has just come forward with a gun that they're going in the wrong direction," he said. However, according to al-Maslami, Ansarullah forces are now likely to face a brutal counterattack from Saudi Arabia.