Saudi Arabia has one of the world’s most expensive and sophisticated arsenals, filled with American warplanes, missile defenses and other cutting-edge technology.
asserted
Arabia → have → 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.
asserted
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.
asserted
attacks → strike → home
The Iran-backed Houthis, once seen as little more than a ragtag militia, have grown into a formidable fighting force.
asserted
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.
asserted
that → inflict → thousands
The Houthis are attacking Saudi Arabia because it supports government forces in Yemen the rebels seek to overthrow.
asserted
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.
uncertain
rebels → investigate → what
Here’s what we know and don’t know about the Saudi and Houthi conflict:
asserted
we → ’ → conflict
Saudi Arabia is the world’s top purchaser of American weapons, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
uncertain
Arabia → accord → Institute
It says the Saudis received 12% of all U.S. arms exports from 2021-2025.
asserted
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.
uncertain
which → purchase → transfers
Saudi Arabia’s annual budget for 2026 listed $83 billion for military expenditures.
asserted
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.
asserted
Houthis → defend → 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.
asserted
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.
asserted
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.
asserted
countries → appear → support
President Donald Trump said this week he is evaluating whether the U.S. should join Saudi strikes on the Houthis.
asserted
U.S. → say → Houthis
But he has not yet announced a decision.
asserted
he → announce → decision
Houthi weapons and tactics are battle-tested
Like their patron Iran, the Houthis have deployed asymmetric warfare for the 21st century by capitalizing on their strengths — primarily drones and missiles.
asserted
Houthis → test → 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.
uncertain
disrupting → require → fighting
The Houthis have a large arsenal capable of striking targets well over 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) away.
asserted
Houthis → have → targets
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.
asserted
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.
asserted
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.
asserted
they → say → Arabia
“They’ve learned how to over-saturate the radars,” he said.
asserted
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.
asserted
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.
asserted
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.
asserted
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.
asserted
they → say → control
“They can’t not strike back — they were attacked in a very brutal way by their archenemies,” he said.
asserted
he → strike → archenemies
“They need to exert military pressure on the Houthis and then find a way to kind of deescalate.”
Rather than sending troops into Yemen, the Saudis will likely launch airstrikes against the Houthis and ramp up support of nationalist forces, several analysts said.
asserted
analysts → need → forces
“It will be surrogate warfare,” Krieg said.
asserted
Krieg → say → ?
…and 12 more, not listed.
The Aporia
