Saudi FM Warns Houthi Threat Going Global as Trump Holds Fire

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said Thursday that the escalating threat posed by Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen has implications well beyond the kingdom, urging a coordinated international effort to safeguard vital maritime trade routes. His remarks followed the interception of six ballistic missiles fired toward Saudi Arabia.

Speaking with reporters on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said Riyadh was working with Washington and other global partners as Houthi attacks endangered both Saudi territory and commercial vessels operating in the Red Sea.

The Saudi-led coalition reported that its air defense systems had destroyed six ballistic missiles believed to have been launched by the Houthis toward the Saudi cities of Taif and Yanbu, Reuters reported. Authorities did not immediately disclose whether the strikes resulted in injuries or property damage.

Emergency alerts were also issued in parts of Saudi Arabia, including Jeddah and Mecca, before officials said the immediate threat had subsided. Yanbu, a key Red Sea center for oil exports, has taken on added strategic importance as the conflict with Iran disrupts maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Asked by News Media whether Riyadh was receiving adequate American support after reports that President Donald Trump had rejected Saudi requests for direct military action against the Houthis, Prince Faisal stressed that the kingdom could protect itself. At the same time, he argued that the wider threat demanded a collective international response.

“We are, naturally, defending ourselves and responding as needed to the Houthi attacks,” he said. “But we are also coordinating with all our international allies, because this is not an issue that concerns Saudi Arabia alone.”

“The Houthis’ threats against Bab el-Mandeb and international shipping represent a danger to global security and stability,” Faisal said. “Addressing that danger cannot be the responsibility of Saudi Arabia alone. It must be shared by the international community.”

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The Saudi foreign minister expressed appreciation for nations already supporting Riyadh and said consultations with the United States were ongoing.

“We are, of course, continuing to work with our partners in the United States to address this conflict as well,” he said.

Faisal spoke as the Trump administration faced fresh appeals from Saudi Arabia to launch military operations against the Houthi movement.

An Axios report published Sept. 21 said Trump had weighed ordering strikes on the Houthis over the weekend but ultimately chose not to proceed. Saudi officials had reportedly renewed their request for U.S. military support as Houthi forces made gains in Yemen, while Washington continued to provide intelligence and assistance with targeting but stopped short of joining the combat directly.

The Houthis’ battlefield gains have heightened fears over the future of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital chokepoint linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. The passage is central to global commerce and the movement of Saudi oil exports.

In recent weeks, the group has pushed its control farther along Yemen’s western coastline, reaching areas near the strategic maritime corridor as clashes with Saudi-backed government forces intensified.