Houthi advances put Saudi oil routes under pressure as Riyadh weighs response
Reported Houthi gains near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and a pipeline shutdown have narrowed Saudi Arabia’s options, while Washington resists military intervention.
Iran-backed Houthi forces are reported to have seized the Greater and Lesser Hanish islands and the Red Sea port city of Mocha, moving Yemen’s conflict closer to Saudi Arabia’s shipping and energy infrastructure.
Al Jazeera Global News reported that a drone strike forced the shutdown of Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline, which carries about 4 per cent of global oil supplies from the Gulf coast to Yanbu. The duration of the disruption and the pipeline’s reopening remain unknown.
The developments have left Riyadh weighing unilateral military action, retaliation with support from Türkiye and Pakistan, or other responses. No decision to launch an operation has been reported.
The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan in August, has gained added significance. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the pact could apply if Saudi Arabia faced an unprovoked attack or if fighting in Yemen spilled into the kingdom, although the form of any assistance remains unclear.
The United States has reportedly declined two requests from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for military action, according to reports cited by Al Jazeera. Washington is instead holding direct talks with the Houthis and regional governments, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Saudi Arabia retains a well-funded air force and air-defence network, and has previously backed Yemen’s government-aligned forces and led a coalition against the Houthis. The reported advances mark a shift from front lines that had remained broadly frozen since a 2022 truce, but the scope of any Saudi response remains unsettled.
