Despite possessing one of the world's most expensive arsenals filled with American warplanes and missile defence systems, Saudi Arabia has appeared helpless against missile and drone barrages fired by Yemen's Houthi group.
Recent strikes on Saudi airports killed at least 14 people and forced residents, schoolchildren, and businesspeople to work remotely, according to NBC News.
CCTV footage from Saturday showed passengers taking cover as smoke filled part of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh following a strike.
The Iran-backed Houthis, once seen as little more than a ragtag militia, have grown into a formidable fighting force, the American broadcaster said.
They have damaged the region’s top oil producer, threatened critical Red Sea supply routes and now risk reigniting a full-scale war on the Arabian Peninsula that displaced millions and killed tens of thousands.
The rebels are attacking Saudi Arabia because it backs government forces in Yemen that they seek to overthrow.
Smoke and flames rise from King Khalid Airport, after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis said they attacked the airport, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Oct 8, 2026, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. Photo: Reuters
As the kingdom investigates how its air defences failed to stop the attacks, it must also weigh how to respond and what the Houthis might do next.
Saudi is the world’s top buyer of American weapons, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which said the Saudis received 12 percent of all US arms exports from 2021 to 2025.
Over the years, the kingdom has bought American F-15 warplanes, Patriot air defence systems, advanced radars and offensive missile systems, according to the think tank, which tracks global arms transfers.
Its 2026 budget listed $83 billion for military spending. Earlier this year, it struck a $9 billion deal with Washington for 730 Patriot missiles.
The Houthis have reportedly exploited Saudi Arabia’s sheer size.
Vulnerable energy, civilian and military assets are scattered across sparsely populated territory roughly three times the size of Texas, and the border with Yemen stretches more than 800 miles (about 1,290km) through rugged desert.
“Expecting a country the size of Saudi Arabia to intercept every missile is simply unrealistic. No defence can guarantee complete protection,” Saudi analyst Ali Shihabi said in an online post on Monday.
A satellite image shows damage at a Saudi oil facility serving the East-West Pipeline, in the Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia, Sept 16, 2026, following a reported attack on Sept 11. Photo: Reuters
Regional officials say Saudi Arabia is running low on interceptors and has asked allies for help, the report said.
Although Saudi recently inked a joint defence pact with Pakistan and Turkey, both allies appear to be staying on the sidelines, while US President Donald Trump evaluates potential involvement in joint strikes.
Having honed asymmetric warfare through drone and missile strikes -- including targeting Israel since October 2023 -- the Houthis have learned to oversaturate radar systems, King's College London professor Andreas Krieg told NBC News.
Former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia Michael Ratney described the Houthis’ strikes on civilian targets such as airports as “a paradigm shift”. He said Riyadh must now hit back through airstrikes and proxy forces while trying to keep the fighting from spiralling into full-scale war.
The United Nations estimates the group’s ranks swelled from 30,000 in 2015, when Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen, to as many as 350,000 by 2024. The Houthis and Iran trade battlefield innovations in both directions.
Farea Al-Muslimi, a Chatham House fellow, said recent victories have left the Houthis feeling “untouchable”, but a brutal Saudi counterattack now looks likely.