Saudis seek allies' help as missile defenses run low in fight with
Houthis, officials say
[September 17, 2026]
By SAMY MAGDY, SUZAN FRASER and MUNIR AHMED
CAIRO (AP) — Saudi Arabia is running low on missile interceptors and has
turned to regional and Western allies for assistance as its standoff
with Houthi rebels in Yemen drags on, two regional officials said
Wednesday.
The officials said the Saudis have asked France, Britain, Pakistan and
Egypt to deploy air-defense support to the region to help defend against
missiles and drones fired by Houthis and other Iran-backed groups.
The outreach was initiated because Saudi Arabia's main ally and arms
supplier, the United States, has seen its own stock of interceptors
dwindle over the course of a six-month war with Iran, one official said.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not
authorized to brief the media.
Saudi officials did not immediately respond to a request seeking
comment.
The fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis is the latest front to
erupt as a result of the Iran war. On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia accused
the Houthis of trying to attack Islam’s holiest city with a drone; the
region responded with condemnation but no sign of military support.
The kingdom declared Mecca, the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, a
“red line” and said it had intercepted the drone. The Houthis denied
targeting Mecca, about 1,100 kilometers (680 miles) from Yemen’s border.
Saudi Arabia struggles to rally support
With the world’s biggest oil exporter under fire from rebels backed by
the Saudis’ regional adversary, the kingdom needs a safe outlet for its
crude as well as military assistance. There’s no clear path to either.
A crucial Saudi pipeline has been shut down, reportedly for weeks, after
an attack by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. The Houthis have been
targeting infrastructure in the kingdom and its shipping on the Red Sea,
where they have seized several islands in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. And
Iran is still targeting ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices remain
above $100 a barrel.
One of the regional officials said Saudi Arabia is in a “very difficult
position,” since it has to protect not only its military bases and vital
government installations, but also oil facilities across the kingdom.
The second official said Saudi Arabia is also seeking to rally its
international allies to launch a collective response against the
Houthis. “But the decision now is to give diplomacy a chance,” the
official said, adding that Oman and Egypt are leading efforts for
de-escalation in Yemen.
“This is just not a Houthis versus Saudi Arabia issue,” said Adam Baron,
a fellow at New America, a Washington-based think tank. "This is a
matter of figuring out some way to guarantee wider patterns and pathways
of international shipping.”
Last weekend, Oman hosted a meeting between U.S. and Houthi
representatives to discuss the regional tensions, said two people
familiar with the matter, including a Houthi official. They gave no
further details and spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t
authorized to brief the media.
Allies offer diplomatic support but no signs of military assistance
On Tuesday, the British prime minister’s spokesman, Tom Wells, confirmed
the U.K. has a “close defense partnership” with Saudi Arabia. But he
declined to say whether Saudi Arabia has asked for military assistance,
or say whether British troops are in the country.
U.S. and NATO officials have previously acknowledged a critical shortage
of missile interceptors in Europe, raising questions about Europe’s
ability to assist.
A Turkish government official said Turkey was engaged in talks with Iran
and the United Arab Emirates to try and lower tensions. The official,
who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to
speak on the issue publicly, did not provide further details.
The attacks are the first test of a new defense pact among Saudi Arabia,
NATO member Turkey and nuclear power Pakistan. But officials from Turkey
and Pakistan told The Associated Press they have not received a Saudi
request for support in response to the Houthis' escalation. The
officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not
authorized to speak publicly on the issue.
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This image from an undated video released Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026,
by the Ansar Allah Media Office, the media arm of Yemen's Houthi
rebels, shows Houthi fighters posing and chanting atop what the
group described as the wreckage of a downed Saudi F-15 fighter jet
bearing a Saudi flag in Marib province, Yemen. (Ansar Allah Media
Office via AP)
Amid the condemnation of the attempted attack on Mecca, Pakistani
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country and the Saudis stand
“unwaveringly, shoulder to shoulder.” Turkey's foreign minister
expressed solidarity and said no country can “remain indifferent,”
state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
For now, the US is staying out of the fight
The United States has sold billions of dollars in weapons to Saudi
Arabia and has committed to other support, but top U.S. officials
have indicated a lack of desire to get involved in the conflict.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Monday said Washington had been in
“constant contact” with the Saudis and had “engaged in direct
conversations with the Houthis.”
When asked whether Saudi Arabia had requested intervention, a U.S.
official said the U.S. military’s Central Command has a task force
in place for “enhancing intelligence sharing and planning support
with Saudi forces.”
The U.S. military hosted senior military leaders from eight
countries last week at a conference in Germany to discuss
“opportunities for enhancing security cooperation in the Middle
East,” the official also said, speaking on condition of anonymity
because they were not authorized to comment publicly. The official
did not confirm which countries attended.
Houthis claim shooting down an F-15 fighter jet
The Houthis claimed Wednesday that they shot down an F-15 fighter
jet operated by the Saudi-backed coalition over Yemen’s central
province of Marib, though they didn't say when it happened.
In a video released by the rebel group’s media channels, Houthi
fighters appear to be pushing what they are calling the wreckage of
an F-15 emblazoned with a Saudi flag. AP could not independently
verify the claim.
Spokespeople for the Saudi-led coalition and the Saudi government
didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Iran's top diplomat is in China
Iran's top diplomat was in China, the biggest buyer of his country's
oil.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on the U.S. and Iran to
exercise restraint and reopen the Strait of Hormuz as soon as
possible. He expressed China’s concern about the spread of the
fighting to Yemen and the Red Sea, according to China’s Foreign
Ministry.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran seeks “the
restoration of calm to the region and friendly and peaceful
relations with our neighbors.”
China has avoided direct involvement in the war, but President Xi
Jinping at the BRICS summit in New Delhi over the weekend again
offered Beijing's help in ending it.
Oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz have recovered somewhat as
tankers risk using a route near Oman on the other side of the
waterway, with guidance from U.S. forces. Estimates vary because
ships can turn off location systems but range from 5 million to 7
million barrels per day on average.
That's less than half the amount before the war began with U.S. and
Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.
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