Saudi Arabia seeks air defense help amid interceptor shortage — Korea Herald
Saudi Arabia has asked regional and Western allies to provide air defense support due to dwindling stocks of interceptor missiles amid its confrontation with Yemen’s Houthis. This was reported by the Korea Herald, citing two regional officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
According to them, Riyadh asked France, the United Kingdom, Pakistan and Egypt to deploy air defense assets in the region. They would help defend against missiles and drones that, according to the officials, are launched by the Houthis and other Iran-backed groups.
Protection of military and oil facilities
One of the publication’s sources said that Saudi Arabia is in a “very difficult position,” as it must protect military bases, important government facilities and oil infrastructure across the country. According to one official, the appeals to allies were also prompted by a reduction in U.S. stocks of interceptor missiles during the six-month war with Iran.
Saudi officials did not immediately comment on reporters’ requests. At the same time, one regional official said that Riyadh seeks to mobilize international partners for a collective response to the Houthis, but has decided for now to give diplomacy a chance. Oman and Egypt, he said, are making efforts to de-escalate the situation in Yemen.
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Claims of an attack on Mecca
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia accused the Houthis of attempting to attack Mecca with a drone and said it had intercepted the unmanned aircraft. The kingdom called the city a “red line.” The Houthis denied that Mecca, located about 1,100 kilometers from the border with Yemen, was their target.
UK Prime Minister’s spokesperson Tom Wells confirmed London’s close defense partnership with Saudi Arabia but did not specify whether Riyadh had requested military assistance or whether British military personnel were in the country. Officials in Turkey and Pakistan told the Associated Press that they had not received a Saudi request for support in response to the escalation by the Houthis.
The Houthis also said they had shot down an F-15 fighter jet of the Saudi-backed coalition over Yemen’s central Marib province. They released a video showing aircraft wreckage bearing a Saudi flag, but the Associated Press was unable to independently verify the claim.
