Saudi Arabia intercepts six Houthi missiles as rebels threaten US intervention

Missile interceptions across Saudi territory

The Saudi-led military coalition announced on Thursday, September 24, that it intercepted six ballistic missiles fired from Yemen by Houthi forces. Saudi authorities had issued alerts earlier that morning warning of potential danger across multiple regions. The incoming missile barrage targeted the Red Sea port of Yanbu and the city of Taif. This volley followed cross-border alerts issued on Wednesday by Saudi civil defense for the southwestern border regions of Jazan and Najran, which frequently face projectile fire from northern Yemen. Houthi forces had also launched missile strikes toward the Saudi capital of Riyadh on the preceding Saturday, while continuing to enforce a maritime blockade on Saudi shipping in the Red Sea.

Houthi warnings against American intervention

Alongside cross-border missile strikes, Houthi officials issued direct threats against American assets across the Middle East. Abed Mohammed al-Thawr, an adviser to the defense minister in the self-proclaimed Houthi government, stated in a Tuesday interview in Sanaa that Washington must refrain from assisting Riyadh. The warning arrived after reports in United States media that Saudi Arabia had repeatedly requested American intervention to halt Houthi territorial advances. Al-Thawr designated any foreign military operation in the Bab el-Mandeb strait as a red line, declaring that Houthi forces and Iran form a single bloc. His statements countered comments made on Sunday by US President Donald Trump, who told Fox News that the Houthis had agreed to avoid targeting American interests.

If the United States dared to support Saudi Arabia with air strikes or air support, we would consider all American interests around us as targets.

Battles for coastal heights and strategic cities

Hostilities between Houthi forces and the internationally recognized Yemeni government based in Aden resumed in July 2026 after years of relative calm. Houthi fighters secured control over Yemen's western Red Sea coastline, reinforcing their position near the Bab el-Mandeb strait that connects Asian and European maritime trade through the Suez Canal. Following a new offensive in early September, fighting concentrated around Mount Qafran, a strategic elevation overlooking the strait. Government forces claimed full control of the peak, which Houthi forces sought to capture as a natural defensive barrier for their coastal positions. Clashes also persisted around government-held Taiz and Marib, where Yemeni officials accused Houthis of shelling residential neighborhoods while rebel sources reported 19 Saudi air raids supporting local ground troops.

Airstrikes and mounting civilian toll

The broader exchange of aerial attacks and artillery fire has produced heavy civilian casualties across northern and western provinces. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree stated on Wednesday that Saudi aircraft conducted 52 raids across Yemen over a 24-hour span. The Houthi-operated Almasirah television channel reported that Saudi strikes in Taiz and Al-Jawf provinces killed at least ten civilians and wounded 14 others on September 23. According to figures compiled by the World Health Organization, the renewal of combat has caused 647 deaths and nearly 3,000 injuries over a period of less than two months. Yemeni government authorities also recorded more than 158,000 displaced people since the beginning of September as families flee active front lines.