Saudi Arabia Reports Downing of Houthi Drone South of Mecca

The Houthi movement has recently taken control of extensive areas along Yemen’s Red Sea coastline, displacing Saudi‑backed government forces.

Last week, they seized the strategic port city of Mokha and Perim Island in the Bab al‑Mandab Strait, the southern gateway to a vital shipping lane connecting Asia and Europe through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.

The Houthis asserted they pose no threat to international shipping, but warned they would target vessels belonging to Saudi Arabia, whose oil exports have depended on the Red Sea after the US‑Israel conflict with Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz.

Simultaneously, Saudi Arabia’s key East‑West pipeline, used to transport crude from the Gulf to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, was shut down after a strike—blamed on Iran‑backed militias in Iraq—damaged it severely.

While some analysts estimate repairs could take over a month, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright predicted on Tuesday that oil flow could resume within days.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, has personally urged U.S. President Donald Trump to consider military action against the Houthis, according to two sources familiar with the discussions, as reported by CBS News and the BBC.

Trump has thus far refused direct U.S. military involvement, opting instead to provide intelligence and targeting assistance, the sources said.

A senior Trump administration official told the BBC: “We are in continuous dialogue with Saudi Arabia and the Yemen government regarding regional stability.”

The UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting on Tuesday, at which both the Yemeni government and Saudi Arabia urged more decisive action against the Houthis, accusing them of choking the Bab al‑Mandab Strait to exert economic pressure.

Council members concurred that freedom of navigation in the Red Sea must be preserved to avoid disruption to global supply chains.

Over 90,000 people have been displaced in Yemen due to fighting between the Houthis and pro‑government forces, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

“Families are being forced to flee for a second or third time in this conflict, with almost nothing left,” IOM Director General Amy Pope warned last week.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Sunday that at least 500 people have died since early August, including 297 deaths in the past week.

Yemen has been devastated by a civil war that began in 2014 when the Houthis ousted the government from the capital, Sanaa. The conflict intensified in 2015 after a Saudi‑led Arab coalition intervened to restore the government.

The fighting has reportedly caused more than 150,000 deaths and sparked one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with over 22 million people requiring some form of assistance, according to the UN.

A four‑year informal ceasefire began to unravel in July when the Houthis announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia and launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities, and tankers in the Red Sea.

The Houthis said they were retaliating for a Saudi blockade of ports and airports in their territory and for an airstrike on Sanaa airport that they blamed on the kingdom.

Source link