Saudi Arabia has been left alone to deal with the Houthi threat, with President Trump and the kingdom’s allies suggesting it’s an internal problem and not an extension of the Iran War — even as the group’s renewed attacks threaten the global oil supply.
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attacks → leave → supply
Despite years of building security alliances with the US, its Gulf neighbors and regional powers like Turkey and Pakistan, no one is rushing to aid Riyadh as it fends off attacks on its cities and critical pipelines and refineries.
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it → build → cities
There are two reasons, analysts say.
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analysts → be → ?
First, nobody is eager to get dragged into a new fight with the Iran-backed Yemeni terror group.
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nobody → drag → group
Second, the bad blood between the Saudis and the Houthis along their southern border has been raging for years — long before the Iran war.
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blood → rag → war
“For the Gulf allies, they are likely concerned about being on the receiving end of Iranian and Houthi retaliation,” Mona Yacoubian, director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Middle East Program, told The Post.
“They are reluctant to help at the risk of exposing their civilian and energy infrastructure to the attacks we’ve seen so far,” she added.
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she → receive → attacks
Turkey and Pakistan — which signed the Mecca Agreement in August vowing to defend Riyadh in case of an attack — have also declined to step up even after a Houthi drone was intercepted near the holy city.
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drone → sign → city
Both Muslim-majority nations have large and formidable militaries and have vowed to defend the nation that is home to Islam’s holiest site.
But, nuclear-armed Pakistan has argued that the current fighting in Yemen and Saudi Arabia are part of the “pre-existing” Yemeni civil war that predated the Mecca Agreement and therefore does not require allies to respond.
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that → have → allies
Yemen had endured a bloody conflict between the Houthis and the country’s Saudi-backed government for years before settling into a cease-fire in 2012.
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Yemen → endure → 2012
Saudi Arabia, a nation of 36 million, has modern military equipment — including American F-35 Strike Eagle fighter jets and hundreds of M1A2 Abrams tanks.
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Arabia → have → tanks
But so far, it’s been able to quash the resurgence from the Houthis, who have recruited up to 350,000 fighters.
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who → quash → fighters
The primary concerns for the US would be to avoid an escalation of the war in Iran and further risk US troops and assets stationed in the Middle East, Yacoubian said.
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Yacoubian → avoid → East
The Soufan Center, a New York-based security consultant, said that US disinterest in helping, in particular, is a “worst-case scenario” for MBS.
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disinterest → base → MBS
“Saudi de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) never imagined the US security umbrella would falter,” a briefing publish Monday said.
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briefing → imagine → ?
The Soufan report added: “its main strategic partner is unable or unwilling to fulfill its long-standing commitments to defend Saudi Arabia against attacks by Iran or Iran-backed groups, particularly the Houthi movement (Ansarallah) of Yemen.”
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partner → add → Yemen
Trump said on Sunday that the Houthis assured him that they would not attack US interests in the region — suggesting that the ongoing conflict was not related to their Iranian paymasters.
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conflict → say → paymasters
Saudi Arabia, which has also been focused on the Iran war, is running low on missile interceptors and has since asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt for air support, regional officials told the Associated Press.
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officials → focus → Press
The US, which is reportedly running low on missile interceptors, is set to sell 48 F-35 stealth fighter jets to the kingdom, but it would take several years before Saudi Arabia can get their hands on the aircraft.
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Arabia → run → aircraft
The Iran-backed terror group has also taken over the critical Bab al Mandeb Strait and disrupted flow along the Saudi East-West Pipeline that had been redirecting millions of barrels of oil a day away from the Strait of Hormuz.
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that → back → Hormuz
The attacks caused major shocks to oil markets, with the price of crude per barrel soaring about $100 per barrel last week before dipping below the triple digits on Monday.
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price → cause → Monday
The fact that the Houthis are aligned with Iran and that the Saudis are left alone to deal with the threat likely means that ending the conflict will not be easy, especially if the Islamic republic links it with a greater truce in the Middle East.
“We’ve seen Iran leverage peace with a cease-fire in Lebanon, and it could leverage what the Houthis are doing… and use that to seek greater concessions,” Yacoubian said.
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Yacoubian → align → concessions
It remains unclear whether the Houthis will fully align themselves with the Iranian cause, as the terror group has listed its priorities are in Yemen and ending Saudi influence in the country.
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priorities → remain → country
The Aporia
