Saudi Arabia Issues Wide Security Alerts as Houthis Tighten Grip on Yemen's West Coast

Saudi Arabia briefly issued security alerts across a wide swath of its territory on Tuesday, including the holy city of Mecca and the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, following a week of missile and drone attacks by Iran-aligned fighters. The alerts were lifted quickly, and authorities did not say whether any projectiles had landed or who might have fired them. It was the broadest set of warnings since the conflict escalated last week, and the first time Mecca — home to shrines sacred to Muslims worldwide — has been placed under alert during the war.

The Houthi movement in Yemen has claimed several major strikes on Saudi Arabia in the past week, including attacks on an air base on Monday that it described as retaliation for airstrikes on Yemen. A Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said 13 civilians were wounded in Monday's attacks. Riyadh has separately blamed a pro-Iranian group based in Iraq for a strike on Friday that disabled the East-West Pipeline, a 1,200-km artery carrying oil across the Arabian desert to the Red Sea.

Officials from Yemen's Saudi-backed government said Saudi and Yemeni air forces have stepped up bombardment of Houthi targets, including near the historic port of Mocha, which the fighters seized last week. The officials acknowledged, however, that the Houthis now effectively control almost the entire western coast of Yemen. "The Houthis are being put under heavy pressure. They in turn are putting more and more pressure on the Saudis, increasing their campaign of missile and drone attacks," one Yemeni official said.

The pipeline shutdown has raised concerns about global energy supplies. Traders say a prolonged closure could remove as much as 4% of world oil supply, and Riyadh has not indicated when flows might resume. The Houthi presence at Bab el-Mandeb, the strait at the mouth of the Red Sea, could further endanger that export route. Oil prices have climbed to levels not seen since May, with Brent crude above $108 a barrel on Tuesday, while average U.S. diesel prices hit a record near $6.27 a gallon. The UN Security Council was due to discuss the crisis on Tuesday afternoon.

Saudi Arabia has led a coalition against the Houthis since 2015. Fighting had largely subsided under a ceasefire in recent years but reignited this month as the Houthis pushed back forces aligned with the internationally recognised government. The United States, which bombed Houthi targets for two months last year, now faces a choice between standing aside and risking new shocks to the global economy, or providing military support to Riyadh and risking deeper involvement in another costly conflict. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on Tuesday; a statement said the two stressed the need to ensure freedom and security of navigation in the Bab el-Mandeb and the Red Sea. The crown prince also met U.S. regional commander Admiral Brad Cooper in Jeddah on Monday and phoned President Donald Trump last week to seek military support, which so far has been limited to intelligence assistance.