Saudis seek allies' help as missile defenses run low in fight with Houthis, officials say
CAIRO (AP) — Saudi Arabia is running low on missile interceptors and has turned to regional and Western allies for assistance as its standoff with Houthi rebels in Yemen drags on, two regional officials said Wednesday.
The officials said the Saudis have asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt to deploy air-defense support to the region to help defend against missiles and drones fired by Houthis and other Iran-backed groups.
The outreach was initiated because Saudi Arabia's main ally and arms supplier, the United States, has seen its own stock of interceptors dwindle over the course of a six-month war with Iran, one official said. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
Saudi officials did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.
The fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis is the latest front to erupt as a result of the Iran war. On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia accused the Houthis of trying to attack Islam’s holiest city with a drone; the region responded with condemnation but no sign of military support.
The kingdom declared Mecca, the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, a “red line” and said it had intercepted the drone. The Houthis denied targeting Mecca, about 1,100 kilometers (680 miles) from Yemen’s border.
With the world’s biggest oil exporter under fire from rebels backed by the Saudis’ regional adversary, the kingdom needs a safe outlet for its crude as well as military assistance. There’s no clear path to either.
A crucial Saudi pipeline has been shut down, reportedly for weeks, after an attack by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. The Houthis have been targeting infrastructure in the kingdom and its shipping on the Red Sea, where they have seized several islands in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. And Iran is still targeting ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices remain above $100 a barrel.
One of the regional officials said Saudi Arabia is in a “very difficult position,” since it has to protect not only its military bases and vital government installations, but also oil facilities across the kingdom.
The second official said Saudi Arabia is also seeking to rally its international allies to launch a collective response against the Houthis. “But the decision now is to give diplomacy a chance,” the official said, adding that Oman and Egypt are leading efforts for de-escalation in Yemen.
Last weekend, Oman hosted a meeting between U.S. and Houthi representatives to discuss the regional tensions, said two people familiar with the matter, including a Houthi official. They gave no further details and spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief the media.
On Tuesday, the British prime minister’s spokesman, Tom Wells, confirmed the U.K. has a “close defense partnership” with Saudi Arabia. But he declined to say whether Saudi Arabia has asked for military assistance, or say whether British troops are in the country.
U.S. and NATO officials have previously acknowledged a critical shortage of missile interceptors in Europe, raising questions about Europe’s ability to assist.
A Turkish government official said Turkey was engaged in talks with Iran and the United Arab Emirates to try and lower tensions. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the issue publicly, did not provide further details.
The attacks are the first test of a new defense pact among Saudi Arabia, NATO member Turkey and nuclear power Pakistan. But officials from Turkey and Pakistan told The Associated Press they have not received a Saudi request for support in response to the Houthis' escalation. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.
Amid the condemnation of the attempted attack on Mecca, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country and the Saudis stand “unwaveringly, shoulder to shoulder.” Turkey's foreign minister expressed solidarity and said no country can “remain indifferent,” state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
The United States has sold billions of dollars in weapons to Saudi Arabia and has committed to other support, but top U.S. officials have indicated a lack of desire to get involved in the conflict.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Monday said Washington had been in “constant contact” with the Saudis and had “engaged in direct conversations with the Houthis.”
When asked whether Saudi Arabia had requested intervention, a U.S. official said the U.S. military’s Central Command has a task force in place for “enhancing intelligence sharing and planning support with Saudi forces.”
The U.S. military hosted senior military leaders from eight countries last week at a conference in Germany to discuss “opportunities for enhancing security cooperation in the Middle East,” the official also said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. The official did not confirm which countries attended.
Without offering evidence, the Houthis claimed Wednesday that they shot down an F-15 fighter jet operated by the Saudi-backed coalition over Yemen’s central province of Marib.
Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree didn’t say when it occurred, and the AP could not independently verify the claim. The rebels at times take days to claim attacks.
Spokespeople for the Saudi-led coalition and the Saudi government didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Iran's top diplomat was in China, the biggest buyer of Iranian oil.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on the U.S. and Iran to exercise restraint and reopen the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible. He expressed China’s concern about the spread of the fighting to Yemen and the Red Sea, according to China’s Foreign Ministry.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran seeks “the restoration of calm to the region and friendly and peaceful relations with our neighbors.”
China has avoided direct involvement in the war, but President Xi Jinping at the BRICS summit in New Delhi over the weekend again offered Beijing's help in ending it.
Oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz have recovered somewhat as tankers risk using a route near Oman on the other side of the waterway, with guidance from U.S. forces. Estimates vary because ships can turn off location systems but range from 5 million to 7 million barrels per day on average.
That's less than half the amount before the war began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.
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Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey, and Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writers Abby Sewell in Beirut, Ken Moritsugu in Beijing, David McHugh in Frankfurt, Aamer Madhani in Washington, and Jill Lawless in London, contributed to this report.
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