Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia raise risk of wider war

Saturday’s strike killed 12 people and wounded 309, while on Sunday the airport was hit again, this time by an unknown projectile, the fourth attack in a week. This frame grab taken from AFPTV video footage shows fighters from the Saudi-backed Nation’s Shield Forces deployed in Yemen’s Al-Kadha area, west of Taiz province, on Sept. 10, 2026. (AFTTV, AFP, Getty Images via TNS) (Tribune News Service) — This weekend’s deadly attacks on Riyadh’s main airport have demonstrated the ability of Yemen’s Houthis to strike at the heart of Saudi power, raising the risk of a dangerous escalation that could draw in the U.S. Saturday’s strike killed 12 people and wounded 309, while on Sunday the airport was hit again, this time by an unknown projectile, the fourth attack in a week.

Saudi fighter jets are already backing a counteroffensive by Yemeni government forces after the Houthis seized territory near Bab el-Mandeb, a critical choke point for global shipping at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. The Houthis had largely stayed on the sidelines after the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran began in February. But the latest offensive illustrates how the group — a member of Iran’s so-called axis of resistance — has developed into its own autonomous fighting force, with its own sophisticated weapons supply chain and an ability to