Bloomberg: Saudi Forces on High Alert After Deadly Clash With Houthi Rebels
Four Saudi soldiers died as Israel-Hamas war stirs the Houthis Riyadh downed missile fired by Iran-backed group toward Israel
Saudi Arabia’s military has gone into a state of high alert following deadly clashes with Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who also tried to fire a missile over the kingdom toward Israel, according to people familiar with the matter.
Four Saudi soldiers died in the fight with Houthi forces in the mountainous southwestern Jazan Province on the border with Yemen, said the people, asking not to be identified as the information is private.
Saudi Arabia’s defense forces have also intercepted a missile in Saudi territory fired by the Houthis in the past few weeks.
Spokesmen for the Saudi government and Houthi forces didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Saudi deaths, which occurred last week, are the first known casualties for the country’s forces since a tentative truce was reached with the Houthis in April last year. Riyadh had been trying to negotiate an end to the war with the Houthis, which started in 2015.
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Before the escalation, the two sides were on the cusp of a deal despite the death of four Bahraini soldiers serving in the Saudi coalition in a Houthi drone attack last month.
The latest incident took place as the Israel-Hamas conflict raises tension across the region. Iran has warned that new fronts will open up against the US if it keeps up its support for Israel.
Saudi Arabia has been highly critical of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, a Palestinian enclave ruled by Hamas. Those began on Oct. 7 when the militant group, which is also backed by Iran, rampaged through southern Israel and killed 1,400 people. Palestinian authorities say thousands have died in the bombardment and Riyadh’s called for a ceasefire.
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The clashes on the Yemen-Saudi border followed the firing of a barrage of cruise missiles and drones by the Houthis toward Israel on Oct. 19, which the Pentagon said were intercepted by an American destroyer in the Red Sea.
One of these missiles was intercepted by Saudi air defenses and fell inside the kingdom’s territory, according to the people. The US and Saudi Arabia had not previously disclosed Saudi involvement in stopping the attack. Protocols associated with a heightened state of readiness have been activated in all branches of the Saudi military following the Houthi missile launches, said one of the people.
Saudi Defense Minister Khalid Bin Salman is visiting Washington on Monday to meet senior officials in the Biden administration. He’s expected to discuss the fallout from the Israel-Hamas war and the situation in Yemen, the people said.
The Houthis have expressed support for Hamas, which is designated a terrorist group by the US and European Union. On Oct. 11, the Houthi leader, Abdel-Malek Al-Houthi, condemned countries such as Saudi Arabia for trying to normalize ties with Israel and threatened to retaliate against the US with “all available military options.”
Saudi Airspace
Separately, Israel’s main airline, El Al, has scaled back flights over the Arabian peninsula.
El Al Flight 81 from Tel Aviv to Bangkok flew as far south as Somalia on Sunday, avoiding the bulk of the peninsula before swinging east toward its destination, based on data from FlightRadar24. A second flight, El Al 83, took a similar detour early on Monday, as did a flight to Mumbai, the data show.
The dogleg maneuvers, adding several hours to journeys that normally pass through the heart of Saudi Arabia, were a precautionary step to heighten security, said a person familiar with the matter. There were no specific threats and El Al is still allowed to fly through Saudi airspace, the person said, asking not to be identified discussing a sensitive matter.
The airline had no comment. FlightRadar24 data showed several flights to Dubai, which would normally also traverse Saudi airspace, have been canceled or are listed with an unknown flight status well past the scheduled takeoff time. Saudi and Israeli aviation authorities had no comment.
Oman Move
Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Oman, which sits at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula next to Yemen, has closed its airspace to Israeli flights. The newspaper didn’t say where it obtained the information, and the Omani civil aviation authority had no immediate comment on the report.
Saudi Arabia and Oman have only opened up their airspace to Israeli carriers over the past 18 months. Neither country officially recognizes Israel.
In a note to some customers seen by Bloomberg, El Al said that it has made some changes to flight schedules because of “the current situation in Israel and following consultations with security officials and the Israel Airport Authority.”
Most airlines stopped flying to Israel earlier this month, leaving Israel’s flag carrier as one of the few air links to foreign countries.
— With assistance by Siddharth Vikram Philip