Saudi Arabia and the Houthis: Timeline of the 2026 Escalation

Last updated October 27, 2026. Reporting runs through mid-October, and we found nothing newer. We’ll update this page as confirmed reporting arrives.

Overview

Fighting between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement sharpened in 2026 as the wider US-Iran war closed the Strait of Hormuz. That put the Red Sea, and Saudi oil exports through it, at the centre of the conflict. This page collects the key events, with sources, and links to PK Times coverage.

Why it matters

With Hormuz effectively shut, Saudi Arabia has shipped about 5 million barrels of oil a day through its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, according to CNN. Kpler data cited by AGBI show seaborne crude exports through the Bab al-Mandab strait rose eightfold between March and mid-July 2026 compared with 2025. Any threat to that route affects global energy supply. Yemen itself has been called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis by the UN; CNN puts the number needing aid at about 22 million, roughly half its population.

Background, 2014 to 2023

  • 2014–2015: The Houthis took the capital, Sanaa, in 2014 and pushed the government into exile. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to restore it. (Al Jazeera)
  • 2022: A UN-mediated truce began in April, was renewed twice, and lapsed in October. (The New Arab)
  • 2023: Saudi-Houthi talks produced a UN roadmap toward a permanent ceasefire, which was never formalised. (Al Jazeera)

Timeline, 2026

  • February 28: US-Israeli strikes on Iran begin the wider war. Iran then effectively closes the Strait of Hormuz.
  • July 22: The Houthis declare a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia. By early August one report counted eight Saudi oil tankers targeted. On August 24 they reported an attack on the tanker Amzan off Yanbu; the crew was safe. Aramco’s chief executive said the attacks had “no material impact” on its capabilities. (gCaptain, Al Jazeera)
  • Early September: The Houthis seize the Red Sea port of Mocha and push toward the Bab al-Mandab strait. Reuters reported they also took Perim Island, which isn’t independently confirmed. (Seatrade Maritime, Outlook India)
  • September 10: Drones launched from Iraq hit Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline, which is shut as a precaution. On September 12 Trump says Iran was “probably” behind it. No group has formally claimed it. (Al Jazeera)
  • Around September 10: CNN reports more than 100 US advisers are in Saudi Arabia providing intelligence and targeting support, with the US not taking part in strikes. (CNN via KEYT)
  • September 16: The Houthis release video they say shows a downed Saudi F-15. CNN could not verify it, and Saudi Arabia has not commented. (TWZ)
  • October 3: The Houthis claim a missile and drone strike on an oil facility near Riyadh. An AFP reporter saw firefighters at Aramco’s Riyadh refinery. The Houthis say Saudi Arabia struck Sanaa dozens of times. (Al-Monitor)
  • October 5–6: Yemeni government forces, backed by Saudi air strikes, launch an offensive and say they have captured Mokha and secured the Bab al-Mandab strait. The Houthis deny it, and government sources told Reuters and AFP forces had only reached the city’s outskirts. (Al Jazeera, Africanews)
  • Early October: Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia hold an emergency meeting of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in Riyadh and agree to the “rapid deployment” of agreed military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia, under approved arrangements and each country’s laws. No numbers are released. (Qatar Tribune, GNA)
  • October 6–8: Houthi attacks hit Riyadh’s King Khalid airport and Abha airport. Reports differ on dates and tolls: Saudi aviation authorities reported three killed and 36 injured on October 6–7, and three Saudi citizens, including a pilot, killed in two attacks on October 8. (Arab News, Al Jazeera)
  • October 13: An Al-Ahram analysis says the offensive lost momentum and that a Houthi counteroffensive took more than 5,400 square km in ten days, including Mokha and the Bab al-Mandab strait. It’s a single source and conflicts with the government’s earlier claims. (Al-Ahram)

Pakistan’s role

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan’s commitment to Saudi security under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement is “resolute” and that Riyadh has the right to defend itself. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said spillover from Yemen into Saudi Arabia would make the pact operational. At an emergency Makkah-pact meeting in Riyadh in early October, Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia agreed to the “rapid deployment” of agreed forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia, with no numbers released. Defence Minister Asif has said Saudi forces lead the fighting, with Pakistan and Turkey in support, according to one outlet’s report of a Geo News interview. Earlier reporting said Islamabad had ruled out sending troops into Yemen itself. Pakistan is also mediating between Iran and the US, which puts it in two roles at once. (Arab News, Express Tribune)

Open questions

  • Who holds Mokha and the Bab al-Mandab strait now? Accounts conflict.
  • Will Saudi Arabia launch a fuller campaign? Analysts told CNN they expect the Yemeni government’s campaign to intensify, but Riyadh says it won’t launch an all-out war without sustained international support.
  • Can Saudi oil keep flowing through Yanbu if tanker and pipeline attacks continue?
  • What does the Makkah pact commit Pakistan to in practice? Its terms aren’t public, and the scale of the agreed deployment hasn’t been disclosed.

PK Times coverage