Saudi Arabia Warns Houthi Threat Has Become a Global Maritime Risk

UNITED NATIONS — Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister warned Thursday that the threat posed by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis extends well beyond the kingdom, urging international cooperation to protect critical shipping routes after Saudi air defenses reportedly intercepted six ballistic missiles launched toward the country.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said Riyadh was coordinating with Washington and other international partners as Houthi attacks endangered Saudi territory and commercial traffic through the Red Sea.

The Saudi-led coalition said its air defenses had intercepted six ballistic missiles allegedly launched toward the cities of Taif and Yanbu, according to Reuters. It was not immediately clear whether the attacks caused casualties or damage.

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, co-chairs of a United Nations high-level international conference hosted by France and Saudi Arabia to work towards a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, listen to a question during a press briefing at U.N. headquarters in New York City, July 28, 2025. (REUTERS/Kylie Cooper)

Saudi authorities issued emergency warnings across several areas, including Jeddah and Mecca, before announcing that the immediate danger had passed. Yanbu, a major Red Sea oil-export hub, has become particularly significant as the war with Iran disrupts shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Asked by Fox News Digital whether Saudi Arabia was receiving the support it needed from the United States following reports that President Donald Trump had rejected Saudi requests for direct military intervention against the Houthis, Prince Faisal stressed the kingdom’s ability to defend itself while calling for a broader international response.

“So we are, of course, defending ourselves. And we are responding as necessary to the attacks by the Houthis. But we are also, of course, coordinating with all of our international allies, because this is not just about Saudi Arabia,” he said.

Satellite imagery shows Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping waterway and the gateway to the Red Sea, as Iran threatens using Yemen’s Houthi allies to shut the Bab el-Mandeb gateway to the Red Sea, in this handout picture dated July 12, 2026. (Nasa Worldview/Handout via Reuters)

“The fact that the Houthis are threatening the Bab el-Mandeb, threatening international shipping, is a risk to international security stability. That means that the responsibility to dealing with this threat is not just on Saudi Arabia, it is also on the whole international community.”

The foreign minister thanked countries already working with Riyadh and confirmed that discussions with Washington were continuing.

“And we are obviously continuing to work with our partners in the U.S., to address the issue of this conflict as well,” he said.

Yemen’s Iran-backed armed Houthi group has warned they will move to shutter the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait through missile-drone attacks if Gulf nations join the US-Israel war on Iran. (Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)

His remarks came as the Trump administration faced renewed requests from Saudi Arabia for military action against the Houthis.

According to a Sept. 21 Axios report, Trump considered ordering strikes against the group over the weekend but ultimately decided against them. The report said Saudi officials had again sought American military assistance as Houthi forces advanced in Yemen, while the United States continued providing intelligence and targeting support without directly entering the fighting.

The Houthis’ territorial advances have intensified concerns over control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic passage connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and a crucial route for international trade and Saudi oil exports.

Members of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces react during what they say to be clashes with Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis in a location given as near Al-Hazm, Yemen, in this screen grab obtained from a handout video released September 9, 2026. (Media Centre Of The Yemeni Armed Forces/Handout via Reuters)

The group has expanded its control along Yemen’s western coastline in recent weeks, reaching the shores of the strategic waterway as fighting with Saudi-backed government forces escalated.

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