Saudi American Shield Fails; Riyadh Under Sanaa's Strikes!

Saudi Arabia's US arms purchases ultimately achieved nothing, leaving Riyadh vulnerable to Yemen.

In the end, the purchase of American weapons for the Saudis did not bring any results, and Riyadh became vulnerable to Yemen.

Ambassador Arjan: Years of buying American weapons for the Saudis ultimately did not bring any results and Riyadh became vulnerable to Yemen:

1- Saudi airports under attack in Yemen: These days, Saudi Arabia is under the attack of Yemeni army forces, until now at least 5 important airports in Saudi Arabia have been hit by Yemeni drones or missiles. King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh; Abha International Airport, Jizan International Airport, Najran International Airport and Dammam Airport have been targeted during the last two months as the war intensified.

2- Erosion of military reserves and the high cost of war: One of the factors of Saudi Arabia's failure in the Yemen war is the cost difference between Yemeni offensive weapons and Saudi defense systems. By using relatively cheap drones and missiles, the Yemenis are forcing Saudi Arabia to use expensive interceptor missiles to counter the attacks. In its report on the limitations of the Saudi military arsenal, the Financial Times pointed out the difficulty of replacing interceptor missiles and the pressure of frequent attacks. In some cases, the cost of the interceptor missile can be several times the cost of the attacking weapon.

3- The difficulty of identifying targets and the limitation of field information: Saudi air superiority could not mean the identification and complete destruction of the Yemeni military power. By operating in mountainous areas, moving equipment and using asymmetric methods, the Yemeni forces have made it difficult to identify their moving targets and hidden centers. The Financial Times has mentioned the role of drones, missiles and the operational experience of this group in its analysis of the evolution of Yemeni military power. This shows that a high number of airstrikes does not necessarily mean accurate identification of all targets or complete destruction of the enemy's military capacity. Samad 2 and 3 drones are used to identify Saudi defense systems.

4- The gap between air strikes and political and ground victory: One of the most important reasons for Saudi Arabia's failure was that it could not turn its air superiority into a lasting political and military victory. Financial Times reports on the Yemeni war show that the continuation of the Yemeni military power has revealed the limitations of the strategy based on Saudi airstrikes. In fact, the Saudi bombing may have damaged the equipment and forces of Yemen and Ansarullah, but it alone does not replace coherent ground forces, effective governance and political agreement, and in fact, Saudi Arabia lacked effective ground forces in the Yemeni battlefield.

5- Dispersion of targets and the difficulty of defending critical infrastructures: Saudi Arabia has faced the challenge of dealing with various threats in order to protect its cities, airports, oil facilities and other critical infrastructures. On the other hand, the mountainous geography and the vastness of Yemen's regions have also provided Yemenis with the possibility of hiding and moving military equipment. The Financial Times has pointed out the difficulty of protecting the vast infrastructure and dealing with numerous attacks in the reports on the Saudi defense capability. In such a situation, even an advanced defense system cannot guarantee that no attack will pass through it. On the other hand, according to the report of the Financial Times, the flight of Yemeni cruise missiles at low altitude and changing their path has made it difficult to identify and track them.

6- Gaining experience of the Yemenis: The continuation of the war gave the Yemenis the opportunity to develop their tactics and increase the ability to use drones and missiles. The group gradually transformed from a local organization into a military actor with a wider regional influence. In its reports on the evolution of the Yemenis, the Financial Times has examined the expansion of the attack power of this group and its role in the threat to shipping in the Red Sea. In 2024, Yemeni attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea showed that their operational capabilities are no longer limited to Yemeni land fronts. Along with this development, the opposition forces of Ansarullah have also faced political and military differences and coordination problems; A problem that has prevented the formation of a completely integrated front.

7- Yemen's attack on Saudi Arabia despite the American weapons stockpile: Yemen's attacks and strikes on Saudi Arabia, while this country has become one of the largest customers of the American military industry in recent years; According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), between 2021 and 2025, the United States provided 77% of Saudi Arabia's major arms imports, and Riyadh alone was the destination for 12% of the total American major arms exports. In the same period, the transfer of 45 American combat aircraft to Saudi Arabia was recorded in the data of this institution. According to the document of the US State Department, the value of the active cases of US military sales to Saudi Arabia had reached more than 126.6 billion dollars, and in 2025, Washington announced a defense cooperation package worth nearly 142 billion dollars, which included areas such as fighters, air and missile defense, maritime security and communication equipment. The dependence of 77 percent of Saudi Arabia's major arms imports on the United States clearly shows the dimensions of Riyadh's military reliance on Washington.

8- Why did American weapons not work for Riyadh? The experience of Yemen showed that the purchase of advanced fighters and expensive American systems, without an effective political strategy, appropriate ground power and accurate knowledge of the battlefield, is not a guarantee of victory. On the other hand, Ansarullah was able to keep the cost of operations high for Saudi Arabia by relying on missiles, drones, troop mobility and knowing the geography of Yemen.