Houthis attack Saudi Arabia — Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels announced a series of attacks against Saudi Arabia on Monday, October 5, 2026. The strikes were declared a direct response to a major offensive launched by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.

The Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said the targets included Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, an Aramco oil refinery in Rabigh, and military sites across southern Saudi Arabia. The attacks reportedly involved drones, ballistic and cruise missiles. Yemeni government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, had launched Operation “Yemen Dawn,” conducting over 1,000 strikes with the support of 100 coalition warplanes against the Houthi-held capital, Sana’a.

The coalition spokesman stated its naval forces destroyed Houthi weapons depots and thwarted a planned attack on shipping lanes in the southern Red Sea. This escalation prompted UN Secretary-General António Guterres to express deep concern and condemn the Houthi attacks.

The military developments coincide with announcements from Turkey and Pakistan of a “rapid mobilization” of troops to Saudi Arabia as part of a new defense alliance, following a similar move by France on September 25. The Houthis have tightened their military blockade in the Red Sea, seeking to control the strategic Bab el Mandeb Strait.