Saudi Arabia Unhappy with Limited Support from Western Allies Against Ansar Allah / Britain Has Provided a Refueling Aircraft to Saudi Arabia, but Riyadh's Recent Requests for Greater Defense Support Remain Unconfirmed / With an American Citizen Killed in Saturday's Attack, Pressure on Trump to Act Increases

Deadly weekend attacks on Riyadh's main airport show that Yemen's Houthis can strike the heart of Saudi power, a development that raises the risk of dangerous escalation and of drawing the United States into the war.

Bloomberg wrote: The weekend's deadly attacks on Riyadh's main airport showed that Yemen's Houthis have the ability to strike at the heart of Saudi Arabia's power; An issue that increases the risk of dangerous escalation of conflicts and America's foot being dragged into the war.

According to "Select" report; It is further stated in this article: Saturday's attack left 12 dead and 309 injured, while Sunday's attack resulted in the death of one person and wounding of 11 others. The Houthis quickly claimed responsibility for these attacks and said that these actions were carried out in response to "Saudi aggression", including the attack on the airport of Sana'a, the capital of Yemen.

Saudi fighters are now supporting the Yemeni government's counterattack; After capturing areas near Bab al-Mandab from the Houthis, the forces have started recapturing these areas. Bab al-Mandab is a critical bottleneck for global shipping at the southern entrance of the Red Sea.

The Houthis have largely avoided direct involvement in the conflict since the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran in February. But the recent attack shows that this group, as a member of what Iran calls the "axis of resistance", has become an independent fighting force; A force that has its own advanced weapons supply chain and can carry out operations at its own discretion and increase the level of conflicts; Although these measures are sometimes coordinated with the Islamic Republic.

Despite the attacks on the airport and fresh attacks on oil tankers around the Strait of Hormuz, oil prices fell on Monday. Traders instead looked at US President Donald Trump's claim of an energy truce between Russia and Ukraine. Following the increase in the price of Brent oil for two consecutive days, the price of this index reached less than 104 dollars per barrel on Monday.

These attacks have put Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, under increasing pressure to escalate the war that the country has been trying to get out of for years. A fight against an opponent who is probably more capable now than ever.

These developments have also left the US and Saudi Arabia's new defense partners, Turkey and Pakistan, with difficult decisions about how much to support Riyadh's response.

Ahmad Naji, senior Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group, said: "By intensifying their attacks, the Houthis are trying to pressure Saudi Arabia to withdraw and stop its air campaign."

"Riyadh views these attacks as a serious escalation in the conflict, especially given their unprecedented nature, and is likely to respond with increased military pressure," he added.

With the death of an American citizen in Saturday's attack, pressure on Trump to act has also increased. When asked on Saturday if the US would join the attacks against the Houthis, he replied: "Maybe. We will investigate the matter."

William Usher, a former senior Middle East analyst at the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), said: "Riyadh will want direct US attacks against the Houthis, strengthening air defense capabilities, increasing information exchange and political support for the intensification of the military campaign in Yemen."

The Saudi-led coalition blamed the Houthis for Saturday's attack, describing it as a "full-scale war crime."

In 2015, Saudi Arabia formed a coalition to intervene in Yemen and restore the internationally recognized government; But after years of bombing the positions of the Houthis, he could not remove this group from power.

The ceasefire brokered by the United Nations in 2022 significantly reduced the intensity of the conflicts and provided an opportunity for Riyadh to reduce its participation in the war; This was while the Houthis' capabilities and scope of influence continued to expand.

Saudi Ambassador Arjan reported on Sunday that Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan discussed the recent escalation of tensions in the region with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi.

Saudi Arabia has spent billions of dollars to build one of the most advanced armies in the region. This army is equipped with American F-15 fighters and Patriot missile defense systems; Systems whose interceptor missiles cost up to 5 million dollars.

However, repeated attacks have closed the capital's international airport; Attacks that have grounded hundreds of flights and forced schools to hold absentee classes.

These attacks may be a sign of the pressure that the Houthis are facing inside Yemen. After this group captured the Red Sea port of Mokha and areas near Bab al-Mandab last month, Yemeni government forces launched a counterattack with the support of Saudi fighters.

The coalition has announced that its forces have recaptured Bandar Mokha and destroyed dozens of military targets of the Houthis.

Naji said: "Houthis have felt the impact of Saudi air attacks on the areas under their control in the past days. "They have lost a significant number of their forces and several strategic centers have been targeted, including drone workshops, weapons depots and telecommunication towers."

However, the Houthis still have an arsenal of Iranian-designed ballistic missiles that are capable of reaching Riyadh; They also have cheap offensive drones that can be assembled inside Yemen.

The group has endured years of bombing by Saudi Arabia and the United States, and the latest attacks show how difficult it will be to prevent further damage to Saudi Arabia.

Stacey Pettijohn, a senior researcher at the Center for New American Security think tank, who previously worked in the Pentagon's strategic department, said: "They seem to have enough cheap drones and missiles, as well as the technical know-how to carry out long-range attacks against Saudi civilian infrastructure; Infrastructures that are considered vulnerable targets.

These attacks have also made Saudi allies, especially America, face difficult decisions. America launched massive attacks against the Houthis last year, but eventually reached a ceasefire with the group.

Trump has tried to prevent further escalation of military conflicts with Iran before the mid-term elections in November. Washington has so far limited its support for Saudi offensive operations to the exchange of information.

Pettijohn said: "It is unlikely that Saudi Arabia will be able to stop the attacks, in a situation where the United States could not achieve this goal either; Unless the ground forces come into action or the capabilities of the Yemeni forces supported by Saudi Arabia increase significantly."

He added: "Suppressing these attacks requires continuous air patrols to find launchers, which is a difficult task. It seems that the Yemenis have also used the opportunity to rearm since the establishment of a ceasefire with the United States.

Saudi Arabia has been frustrated by limited support from its Western allies, according to people familiar with the matter.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said Britain has provided Saudi Arabia with an aerial refueling plane, but Riyadh's recent requests for more defense support have yet to be confirmed.

France has announced that it will send military defense equipment to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia.

The escalation of tensions has also put Saudi Arabia's defense agreement with Türkiye and Pakistan to the test. In August, these three countries signed a defense pact called "Makkah Defense Coalition".

Both Turkey and Pakistan have announced their readiness to send troops or weapons to help defend Saudi Arabia; But Turkey has denied participating in offensive operations against the Houthis.

The success of the Houthis in recent attacks has come at a difficult time for Saudi Arabia. The country is going to host a series of events aimed at introducing Saudi Arabia as one of the most attractive investment destinations in the world.

These events include the main meeting of the Future Investment Initiative, often referred to as "Davos in the desert". The meeting will attract prominent Wall Street figures, including Goldman Sachs CEO David Salomon and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink.

Executives from major oil companies, including BP and Shell, canceled their attendance at the World Petroleum Congress that was scheduled to begin on Sunday; A matter that shows that the attacks have already disrupted business activities in Riyadh.

The capital's financial district, home to Saudi Arabia's National Wealth Fund and major foreign banks and consulting firms, has also continued to operate remotely.

The British government on Sunday warned its citizens not to travel to Jeddah and Dammam, except in essential cases. This warning includes all Saudi airports except Madinah airport.

The British government also advised its citizens to consider leaving Saudi Arabia by land to neighboring countries.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also warned all US airlines on Sunday to exercise caution at all altitudes when flying to or passing through parts of Saudi Arabia.

On Monday, Australia changed the travel advisory for Riyadh's main airport to the level of "do not travel" and asked its citizens to re-evaluate the necessity of traveling to Saudi Arabia.