Saudi, Greek Forces Down 6 Missiles and Drone Near Yanbu as Houthi Threat Spreads
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Sep 24
Saudi, Greek Forces Down 6 Missiles and Drone Near Yanbu as Houthi Threat Spreads
3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Sep 24
Summary
Six ballistic missiles aimed at Taif and Yanbu were intercepted on Thursday by Saudi-led coalition defenses, while a Greek-operated Patriot battery in the wider Yanbu region also shot down a ballistic missile and a drone.
Yanbu’s importance sharpened the response: the Red Sea port hosts major oil refining facilities and is a key crude export outlet when traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted.
Saudi civil defense briefly issued danger alerts for Mecca, Tabuk, Jeddah, Yanbu and Taif before later declaring the threat over; no immediate Houthi claim of responsibility followed.
The attack fits a broader escalation since the Houthis declared a naval blockade in July and pushed to Yemen’s Red Sea coast, while Yemeni government forces said they repelled fresh Houthi assaults in Taiz.
With Iran threatening the Indian Ocean, could escalating drone battles in the Strait of Hormuz spark a global shipping crisis?
Could the U.S. military's new Xbox-controlled laser weapons finally solve the costly threat of drone swarms in the Middle East?
Saudi Arabia Under Fire: The September 2026 Houthi Missile Strikes, Air Defense Response, and Global Energy Fallout
Overview
In September 2026, a chain of escalating events reshaped the security and energy landscape in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. After US and Israeli strikes on Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia relied on its East-West pipeline, which soon became a target for Houthi and Iran-backed attacks. The Houthis intensified their campaign, launching missile and drone strikes and seizing key Red Sea coastal areas, choking shipping through Bab el-Mandeb and driving up global oil prices. Saudi Arabia responded with upgraded air defenses, successfully intercepting major missile barrages and issuing emergency alerts, which prevented civilian casualties but could not stop mass displacement and humanitarian crises in Yemen.