Updated 3 min 48 sec ago
September 25, 2026 06:21
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s top religious authority has urged the Kingdom’s soldiers to be prepared to sacrifice their lives in the fight against the Houthis, as attacks by the Iran‑backed militia intensify. In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan Al‑Fawzan said that protecting the nation and defending its territory “are among the greatest duties and most virtuous acts of devotion, for which lives and souls may be sacrificed in seeking God’s pleasure.”
The message, addressed to troops at the Saudi‑Yemen border, is unusually strong and invokes Qur’anic verses and prophetic sayings about sacrifice and defense of the faith. It follows weeks of escalating violence, with the Houthis launching missile and drone strikes on Saudi territory and Riyadh responding with airstrikes.
Recent Houthi advances have given the group control over much of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline, including the strategic port of Mokha, the town of Dhubab and key islands around the Bab al‑Mandab Strait. This chokepoint links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, providing an alternative route to the Suez Canal that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. The loss of these areas raises concerns for global shipping and energy supplies, already strained by the wider conflict and Iranian restrictions.
The renewed fighting marks the latest phase of Yemen’s 12‑year civil war, which had been largely dormant since a UN‑brokered truce in 2022 but now forms part of the broader Iran‑Saudi proxy conflict.
In his statement, the grand mufti appealed for divine support: “We ask God Almighty to grant you all his support, and to protect our countries and beloved Yemen from all harm. We also ask him to bring about the complete defeat of the Houthi group and those who assist and support them.”
State television has broadcast alleged Houthi strikes on a southern Saudi mosque and on Makkah, Islam’s holiest site, which authorities have also blamed on the militia.
The religious leader concluded with a call to duty: “It is incumbent upon you, brothers serving on the front lines, to remain constantly prepared to perform your duty, to obey the rulers and your field commanders, and to carry out orders with the utmost precision, as God Almighty commanded the companions of his Prophet to do. You are following in the footsteps of the Prophet’s companions, defending the sacred sites of Muslims.”
