Houthis Claim Large Missile and Drone Attack on Saudi Air Base

Houthi Claim of Attack on Saudi Air Base

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi group claimed it carried out a large-scale ballistic missile and drone attack on King Khalid Air Base in southern Saudi Arabia on September 14, 2026. [1] The group said dozens of ballistic missiles and drones targeted military infrastructure at the base in Khamis Mushait, including aircraft hangars, radars, runways and ammunition depots. [1] The Houthis stated that the operation caused significant damage to the base. [1] The extent of the damage could not be verified immediately. [1] The group said the strikes were carried out in response to what they described as more than 300 Saudi airstrikes across Yemen during the previous five days. [1] The Houthis said Saudi F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets carried out those strikes from Khamis Mushait and Taif airbases. [1] The group threatened further operations inside Saudi territory if the strikes on Yemen continued. [1]

Context of Renewed Saudi-Houthi Escalation

The Monday claim followed a major Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia the previous week, when the group used missiles and drones against Khamis Mushait and Saudi energy infrastructure. [1] Saudi authorities said those attacks wounded more than 70 people and caused fires at oil facilities. [1] Saudi Arabia has carried out strikes against Houthi targets amid a sharp renewed escalation between the kingdom and the Iran-backed group, but the Houthi figure of more than 300 strikes was not independently confirmed. [1] A separate Houthi projectile on September 12 injured two people and damaged a mosque, several buildings and vehicles in Saudi Arabia’s Jazan region. [3] The Saudi Civil Defence said emergency teams dealt with the incident. [3] The spokesperson condemned attacks on civilian property, describing them as a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. [3]

Houthi Territorial Advances on Red Sea Coast

At the same time, the Houthis have made significant territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and on islands near the strategically important Bab al-Mandab Strait. [1] Yemeni government and Houthi officials said the rebels had captured Greater Hanish and Lesser Hanish, two islands roughly 160 kilometers north of the strait. [1] The takeover followed the group’s seizure of Mocha and Mayyun Island, also known as Perim, during its rapid advance along Yemen’s western coastline. [1] The Houthis had reached the Hanish Islands several days earlier as government forces withdrew from positions in the area. [1] Government forces backed by Saudi Arabia attempted over the weekend to regroup and launch a counteroffensive following the Houthi advances around the Bab al-Mandab Strait. [1]

Impact on Saudi Oil Exports and Infrastructure

The east-west pipeline was shut after drone attacks damaged the route. [5] The pipeline carries Saudi crude from the country’s oil fields in the east to Yanbu on the Red Sea. [5] Saudi Arabia has enough crude at the Red Sea port of Yanbu to maintain exports for only five to seven days. [5] The stocks could eventually run out if the pipeline remains offline. [5] The damage threatens to remove up to 4% of global oil supply from the market. [5] Saudi Arabia has used the route to move around 4 million barrels of oil per day to Yanbu. [5] Saudi Arabia told OPEC that its output fell to 6.2 million barrels per day in August. [5] That was down from 10.9 million barrels per day in February, before the war began. [5] The International Energy Agency said Saudi oil supply had fallen to its lowest level in more than three decades. [5]

International Reactions

The foreign ministry of South Korea condemned recent attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeting civilian and economic facilities in Saudi Arabia. [4] The ministry called for an immediate halt to such assaults. [4] The ministry said attacks on civilians and civilian facilities, as well as acts that undermine the freedom and safety of navigation, cannot be justified under any circumstances. [4] The ministry emphasized that peace and stability in the Middle East, including ensuring free and safe navigation in the Red Sea, are crucial to the international community from the perspectives of global supply chains and energy security. [4] The ministry expressed deep solidarity with Saudi Arabia over the attacks and urged the Houthis to refrain from actions that could further escalate tensions. [4] U.S. President Trump refused direct military intervention requests from Saudi Arabia. [2]

Broader Regional Security Concerns

The conflict intensified in July after about four years of relative calm following a United Nations-brokered truce. [3] The escalation has raised fresh concerns over the wider regional security situation, with the UN Security Council holding an emergency session on the Yemen crisis earlier this month. [3] UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg warned that Yemen was entering a new and more dangerous phase of war. [3] Houthi fighters have threatened Saudi oil shipments during the war. [5] The latest disruption comes after a sharp fall in Saudi oil production. [5] The IEA expects global oil supply to fall by 5.7 million barrels per day this year. [5] The Middle East supplied around 22 million barrels per day of oil before the war. [5] Flows through the Strait of Hormuz have since fallen to between 6 million and 9 million barrels per day. [5]

What to watch next: Saudi Arabia has not said how badly the pipeline was damaged or when it could restart, while Houthi officials have said they would respond to any additional escalation with larger attacks.