Houthis target Riyadh for first time in latest escalation: Why attacks are raising alarm as US stays out

Dubai: The widening Houthi conflict entered a more dangerous phase on Saturday after the Iran-backed group targeted Riyadh with a ballistic missile, bringing the confrontation directly to the Saudi capital even as Washington signals it does not intend to join offensive strikes against the rebels.

Saudi Arabia said its air defences intercepted the missile launched towards Riyadh at dawn. Residents reported hearing an explosion and later seeing smoke near the capital’s airport. There were no reports of casualties or damage, according to the Associated Press.

The attack was the first targeting of Riyadh since the latest escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis opened another front in the wider Iran war.

Emergency alerts sounded across Riyadh as residents reported explosions and flights at King Khalid International Airport were severely disrupted, underscoring the sharp escalation in a conflict that had until now largely spared the Saudi capital..

The Houthis said they had launched ballistic and cruise missiles and drones against “sensitive sites” in Riyadh and facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco in Yanbu, a crucial Red Sea energy hub.

Saudi Arabia said attempted attacks on civilian infrastructure in Yanbu, Taif, Baysh and Farasan were also thwarted. The Houthis provided no evidence for their claims about damage to Aramco facilities, and AP said it could not independently verify them.

The Riyadh attack follows a series of escalations.

On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia accused the Houthis of trying to attack Mecca with a drone, an allegation the group strongly denied. A day later, debris from an intercepted Houthi drone killed a Yemeni resident in Saudi Arabia, the first reported civilian death in the latest escalation.

At the same time, the Houthis have made rapid territorial gains inside Yemen, seizing the strategic port of Mokha and islands around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, giving them greater ability to monitor ships moving through one of the world’s most important trade routes.

The advances are causing growing unease among Gulf and US officials over how the group can be stopped — and who will do it.

Despite providing Saudi Arabia with increased intelligence and targeting support, Washington has drawn a line at directly attacking the Houthis.

“No offensive strikes,” one US official told CNN.

CNN reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke twice with US President Donald Trump last week seeking US strikes against the Houthis, but Washington has so far declined. CNN previously reported that the US has increased intelligence and targeting assistance while stopping short of direct participation in attacks.

Trump has also publicly indicated that he does not currently want the United States drawn into another confrontation with the group.

“The Houthis called us and they don’t want to fight with us,” Trump told reporters during a visit to Ireland, according to CNN. He said the group was allowing most ships to pass and suggested its principal dispute was with Saudi Arabia.

That position leaves a difficult question hanging over the region: who can halt the Houthi advance?

Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have struggled to contain the rebels despite years of training and support. CNN reported that US intelligence had warned for months that the Houthis could seek to threaten another major commercial waterway as Iran had done earlier in the war.

The US believes it is providing Saudi Arabia with the intelligence and targeting assistance needed to confront the group, but Gulf and American sources cited by CNN expressed doubts that the Houthis could be stopped by Saudi Arabia alone.

The challenge extends beyond Yemen.

The Houthi offensive is increasingly becoming entangled with attempts to ease the broader Iran conflict, including efforts involving the Strait of Hormuz.

A planned meeting between GCC countries and Iran was cancelled this week after Saudi Arabia decided not to attend amid continuing Houthi attacks and concerns over a potential Oman-Iran arrangement concerning Hormuz, CNN reported. Other Gulf countries followed suit.

That has raised fears that the Red Sea and Hormuz crises can no longer easily be dealt with separately.

Meanwhile, there are doubts that another major military campaign would eliminate the Houthi threat. Years of fighting and previous US strikes have failed to dislodge the group.

One regional source told CNN that military action could weaken the Houthis but would not necessarily end the threat.

For now, the Riyadh attack has made the stakes clearer: the Houthi confrontation is no longer confined to Yemen’s battlefield or the waters of the Red Sea — it is reaching deeper into the region while Washington remains determined to limit its military role.