Saudi Arabia mulls military escalation in response to Houthi threats Submitted by Sean Mathews on Thu, 07/16/2026 - 20:52 Saudi Arabian official says the US has given broad remit to pursue offensive strikes on the Houthis Supporters of Yemen's Houthis commemorate Eid al-Ghadir in Yemen's Sanaa, on 4 June 2026 (Mohammed Huwais/AFP) Off Saudi Arabia is weighing different options to deal with the Houthis, who are escalating their threats against the kingdom in a sign officials and analysts say could forebode a return to fighting in Yemen. The kingdom’s defence minister, Khalid bin Salman, has suggested that the US is giving Saudi Arabia leeway to pursue offensive strikes against the Houthis, multiple US and regional officials told Middle East Eye. However, its leadership has not made a decision. One US and one western official said the discussions could point to differences of opinion within the Saudi royal court over how to respond to the Houthi threat as wider fighting between the US and Iran escalates. The discussions come as a four-year ceasefire between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis is tested by a recent exchange of fighting. The Houthis inflamed tensions with Saudi Arabia earlier this month after a flight arrived at Sanaa airport to carry Houthi officials to the funeral of assassinated Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of bombing Sanaa airport to prevent the plane from returning. The United Nations-backed ceasefire that the Houthis signed with the Saudi-backed internationally recognised government of Yemen has expired, but until now, the sides have generally abided by a framework in which flights to Yemen are from Amman, Jordan, and Cairo, Egypt. US and regional sources told MEE that the original flight that landed in Sanaa included Lebanese, Iranian, Syrian, and Iraqi military experts specialised in drone and missile technologies. The flight to Iran included Hou
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