Saudi Grand Mufti Urges Troops to Be Ready to Sacrifice Lives Against Houthis

Saudi Arabia's highest religious authority has urged soldiers in the kingdom to be prepared to sacrifice their lives in the fight against the Iran-backed Houthis, saying the group must be driven from power.

The statement from Grand Mufti Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan Al-Fawzan, carried by the Saudi state news agency, was directed at troops deployed along the country's borders. It drew heavily on Quranic verses and recorded sayings of the Prophet Mohammad concerning sacrifice and struggle in defence of God.

"Protecting this great nation... and punishing anyone who seeks to lay a hand on even an inch of its territory are among the greatest duties and most virtuous acts of devotion, for which lives and souls may be sacrificed in seeking God's pleasure," the statement said.

It added that asserting the authority of the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised Yemeni government across the entire country was "among the most pressing obligations."

The message follows weeks of escalating hostilities between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, with the group launching salvos of missiles and drones at the kingdom and Saudi forces responding with airstrikes. Questions have been raised over whether Riyadh will mount a broader military operation alongside the Yemeni government forces it supports.

Two weeks ago, those government forces lost control of the vital Bab el-Mandeb waterway to the Houthis — a setback for the kingdom, which has been involved in the conflict since 2015, when it launched an unsuccessful operation to push the Houthis out of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.

The recent fighting marks the latest chapter in 12 years of civil war in Yemen. The conflict had been largely frozen since a 2022 truce but has flared again and become tied to the wider Iran war.

The Mufti's letter also called for divine support for the troops. "We ask God Almighty to grant you all his support, and to protect our countries and beloved Yemen from all harm. We also ask him to bring about the complete defeat of the Houthi group and those who assist and support them," it said.

Addressing soldiers directly, the statement said: "It is incumbent upon you, brothers serving on the front lines, to remain constantly prepared to perform your duty, to obey the rulers and your field commanders, and to carry out orders with the utmost precision, as God Almighty commanded the companions of his Prophet to do."

"You are following in the footsteps of the Prophet's companions, defending the sacred sites of Muslims."

The intervention adds to a growing religiously framed narrative by authorities in the conservative Sunni Muslim kingdom aimed at discrediting the Houthis, who follow a different sect of Islam. State television has in recent weeks broadcast footage of an alleged Houthi strike on a mosque in the kingdom's south, and authorities have accused the group of launching an attack on Mecca, Islam's holiest site.