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Saudi Arabia has one of the world’s most expensive and sophisticated arsenals, filled with American warplanes, missile defenses and other cutting-edge technology.
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Arabia → log → warplanes
But in recent days it has appeared helpless in the face of barrages of missiles and drones fired by the Houthi rebel group from neighboring Yemen.
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it → appear → Yemen
The attacks have struck Saudi airports, killed at least 14 people and forced schoolchildren and businesspeople to stay indoors and work from home.
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attacks → strike → home
The Iran-backed Houthis, once seen as little more than a ragtag militia, have grown into a formidable fighting force.
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Houthis → back → force
They have inflicted damage on the region’s top oil producer, threatened critical supply routes in the Red Sea and now risk reigniting a full-scale war on the Arabian Peninsula that displaced millions and killed tens of thousands.
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that → inflict → thousands
The Houthis are attacking Saudi Arabia because it supports government forces in Yemen the rebels seek to overthrow.
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rebels → attack → Yemen
As Saudi Arabia investigates how its air defenses failed to stop the Houthis' attacks, it must also consider how to respond and what the rebels might do next.
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rebels → investigate → what
Here’s what we know and don’t know about the Saudi and Houthi conflict:
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we → ’ → conflict
Saudi Arabia has a vast arsenal of US weapons
Saudi Arabia is the world’s top purchaser of American weapons, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
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Arabia → have → Institute
It says the Saudis received 12% of all U.S. arms exports from 2021-2025.
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Saudis → say → 2021
Over the years, the Saudis have purchased American F-15 warplanes, Patriot air defense systems, as well as advanced radars and offensive missile systems, according to the think tank, which tracks global arms transfers.
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which → purchase → transfers
Saudi Arabia's annual budget for 2026 listed $83 billion for military expenditures.
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budget → list → expenditures
Earlier this year, it struck a $9 billion deal with Washington for 730 Patriot missiles.
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it → strike → missiles
But it has a huge area to defend
The Houthis have been able to exploit Saudi Arabia's large size.
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Houthis → have → size
Vulnerable energy, civilian and military assets are scattered across the country's sparsely populated territory roughly three times the size of Texas.
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assets → scatter → Texas
Its border with Yemen stretches more than 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) through rugged desert areas.
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border → stretch → areas
“Expecting a country the size of Saudi Arabia to intercept every missile is simply unrealistic.
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country → expect → missile
No defense can guarantee complete protection,” Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst, said in a post online Monday.
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Shihabi → guarantee → post
At the same time, regional officials say that Saudi Arabia is running low on interceptors and has reached out to allies for help.
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Arabia → say → help
Saudi Arabia recently struck a joint defense pact with Pakistan and Turkey.
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Arabia → strike → Pakistan
But so far, the two countries appear to be largely staying on the sidelines or limiting their support.
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countries → appear → support
President Donald Trump said this week he is evaluating whether the U.S. should join Saudi strikes on the Houthis.
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U.S. → say → Houthis
But he has not yet announced a decision.
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he → announce → decision
Houthi weapons and tactics are battle-tested
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weapons → test → ?
Like their patron Iran, the Houthis have deployed asymmetric warfare for the 21st century by capitalizing on their strengths — primarily drones and missiles.
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Houthis → deploy → strengths
For the Houthis, success on the battlefield doesn’t require toppling Saudi Arabia; disrupting the Saudi economy and sowing fear within its society may be enough to give the Houthis leverage in any possible negotiations to end the fighting.
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disrupting → require → fighting
The Houthis have a large arsenal capable of striking targets well over 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) away.
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Houthis → have → miles
Some warheads change direction during flight and pose an extra challenge to air defenses.
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warheads → change → defenses
The group has fired hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel since its war in Gaza erupted in October 2023.
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war → fire → October
While most were intercepted, a handful managed to land, in one case killing an Israeli man.
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handful → intercept → man
Another strike hit an Israeli airport last year.
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strike → hit → airport
Andreas Krieg, a professor at King’s College London, said this experience in challenging Israel’s cutting-edge air defenses has given the Houthis confidence and expertise as they now strike Saudi Arabia.
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they → say → Arabia
“They’ve learned how to over-saturate the radars,” he said.
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he → learn → radars
The Houthis, working with allied militias in Iraq, have also targeted Saudi oil installations, including a vital pipeline used to export oil through the Red Sea while movement through the Strait of Hormuz is limited.
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movement → work → Hormuz
The Houthis have also seized territory in Yemen near the Bab el-Mandeb, a key Red Sea waterway, putting additional pressure on Saudi oil exports.
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Houthis → seize → exports
Saudi Arabia appears to have miscalculated
Michael Ratney, a former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, says the kingdom assumed the Houthis wouldn’t strike civilian targets like airports.
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Houthis → appear → airports
Doing so marked “a paradigm shift,” he said.
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he → do → shift
Ratney, now an adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the Saudis now find themselves in a position where they have to respond while also trying to prevent the fighting from spinning out of control.
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they → say → control
“They can’t not strike back — they were attacked in a very brutal way by their archenemies,” he said.
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he → strike → archenemies
“They need to exert military pressure on the Houthis and then find a way to kind of deescalate.”
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They → need → way
…and 14 more, not listed.
The Aporia
