As a continuation of the previous article, titled “Saudi Arabia and the impending decisive deterrence against Houthis! published in Saudi Gazette newspaper on September 14, 2026, one question inevitably arises: Why did the Houthis cross all the red lines?The answer is straightforward: because they recognize no red lines. They are merely puppets, obediently executing the orders of their masters in Iran. Tehran could find no one more willing to submit to such blind obedience in its pursuit of dismembering diverse and ancient Arab countries such as Yemen, just as it has done in Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria—leaving them fragmented, divided, and ravaged by poverty, ignorance, and destruction.But there is one crucial difference: this (Arab) Yemen has resisted the Houthis. Tehran’s proxies have managed to occupy only Sana’a and a few districts in the north of the country.The red lines were crossed when the Houthis moved their “blackmail, aggression, and crimes” from targeting Saudi Arabia and its oil facilities to violating every boundary by launching drones toward Makkah—the holiest place for Muslims and home to the Holy Kaaba and the Haram.Before the world could recover from the shock of the attempted drone attack on the Sacred House of God, the Houthis stunned it once again by attacking the city of Taif. The assault resulted in the death of a Yemeni resident.The irony is stark: the Houthis kill Yemenis indiscriminately inside Yemen, and they kill them beyond Yemen’s borders as well—without restraint!Perhaps the most accurate description of what the Houthis are doing to Saudi Arabia came from an American news website, which characterized it as blackmailing Saudi Arabia.Yet Saudi Arabia is hardly unfamiliar with those who have mastered the audacity of blackmail. It has accumulated extensive experience in dealing with such tactics. Nothing frightens or unsettles it anymore. Its response has instead become evident: deny those who seek to blackmail it what they desire and what they are striving to obtain.In reality, the Houthis are attempting to kill ten birds with one stone. They seek to blackmail Saudi Arabia into lifting monitoring on ports and airports. This monitoring is imposed under UN resolutions aimed at preventing Iran from supplying the Houthis with weapons, drone and missile components, and sending “experts” to train their fighters.At the same time, Saudi Arabia is fully honoring its obligations toward the Yemeni people. It continues to provide humanitarian and relief assistance and medical convoys, while opening its doors to millions of Yemenis fleeing the Houthis’ oppression, injustice, and crimes. Now, the Houthis are opening a new chapter in their campaign of blackmail by seeking to seize control of Yemen’s western coast, particularly the islands overlooking Bab al-Mandab.They are declaring that the Bab al-Mandab Strait is open to international navigation—with the exception of Saudi ships.They are also coordinating with Iranian proxies in Iraq to target the East-West oil pipeline, apparently believing that this represents the ultimate act of blackmail: that Saudi Arabia will be left with no options for exporting its oil, fertilizers, and petrochemicals.This is a superficial strategy—and one that is destined to prove deeply flawed. Closing the Bab al-Mandab Strait to ships, tankers, and oil and petrochemical shipments would not merely harm Saudi Arabia. It would harm the entire world.Saudi Arabia undoubtedly possesses the manpower, strength, and alliances necessary to defend itself and retaliate against the Houthis and Iran’s proxies in Iraq. All it would require is to activate that power and those alliances.But Saudi Arabia has refrained from doing so, pursuing what can be described as “strategic patience” in the face of Houthi-Iranian aggression. This approach reflects a broader calculation: Saudi Arabia does not want to see the region engulfed in flames or descend into yet another cycle of wars and conflicts.Saudi Arabia is capable—indeed, very capable—of teaching the Houthis lessons that their leaders, and their masters in Qom and Tehran, will never forget.With its forces, personnel, equipment, and massive arms deals, Saudi Arabia possesses the capability to inflict upon them a defeat that they would find extremely difficult to accept, perhaps only on the brink of collapse.They have chosen “criminal blackmail.” They must therefore bear its consequences. They will taste woe, destruction, and fire.Saudi Arabia is patient. But when it strikes, it hurts and it retaliates twofold. There is no consolation for the haters.As a continuation of the previous article, titled “Saudi Arabia and the impending decisive deterrence against Houthis! published in Saudi Gazette newspaper on September 14, 2026, one question inevitably arises: Why did the Houthis cross all the red lines?The answer is straightforward: because they recognize no red lines. They are merely puppets, obediently executing the orders of their masters in Iran. Tehran could find no one more willing to submit to such blind obedience in its pursuit of dismembering diverse and ancient Arab countries such as Yemen, just as it has done in Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria—leaving them fragmented, divided, and ravaged by poverty, ignorance, and destruction.But there is one crucial difference: this (Arab) Yemen has resisted the Houthis. Tehran’s proxies have managed to occupy only Sana’a and a few districts in the north of the country.The red lines were crossed when the Houthis moved their “blackmail, aggression, and crimes” from targeting Saudi Arabia and its oil facilities to violating every boundary by launching drones toward Makkah—the holiest place for Muslims and home to the Holy Kaaba and the Haram.Before the world could recover from the shock of the attempted drone attack on the Sacred House of God, the Houthis stunned it once again by attacking the city of Taif. The assault resulted in the death of a Yemeni resident.The irony is stark: the Houthis kill Yemenis indiscriminately inside Yemen, and they kill them beyond Yemen’s borders as well—without restraint!Perhaps the most accurate description of what the Houthis are doing to Saudi Arabia came from an American news website, which characterized it as blackmailing Saudi Arabia.Yet Saudi Arabia is hardly unfamiliar with those who have mastered the audacity of blackmail. It has accumulated extensive experience in dealing with such tactics. Nothing frightens or unsettles it anymore. Its response has instead become evident: deny those who seek to blackmail it what they desire and what they are striving to obtain.In reality, the Houthis are attempting to kill ten birds with one stone. They seek to blackmail Saudi Arabia into lifting monitoring on ports and airports. This monitoring is imposed under UN resolutions aimed at preventing Iran from supplying the Houthis with weapons, drone and missile components, and sending “experts” to train their fighters.At the same time, Saudi Arabia is fully honoring its obligations toward the Yemeni people. It continues to provide humanitarian and relief assistance and medical convoys, while opening its doors to millions of Yemenis fleeing the Houthis’ oppression, injustice, and crimes. Now, the Houthis are opening a new chapter in their campaign of blackmail by seeking to seize control of Yemen’s western coast, particularly the islands overlooking Bab al-Mandab.They are declaring that the Bab al-Mandab Strait is open to international navigation—with the exception of Saudi ships.They are also coordinating with Iranian proxies in Iraq to target the East-West oil pipeline, apparently believing that this represents the ultimate act of blackmail: that Saudi Arabia will be left with no options for exporting its oil, fertilizers, and petrochemicals.This is a superficial strategy—and one that is destined to prove deeply flawed. Closing the Bab al-Mandab Strait to ships, tankers, and oil and petrochemical shipments would not merely harm Saudi Arabia. It would harm the entire world.Saudi Arabia undoubtedly possesses the manpower, strength, and alliances necessary to defend itself and retaliate against the Houthis and Iran’s proxies in Iraq. All it would require is to activate that power and those alliances.But Saudi Arabia has refrained from doing so, pursuing what can be described as “strategic patience” in the face of Houthi-Iranian aggression. This approach reflects a broader calculation: Saudi Arabia does not want to see the region engulfed in flames or descend into yet another cycle of wars and conflicts.Saudi Arabia is capable—indeed, very capable—of teaching the Houthis lessons that their leaders, and their masters in Qom and Tehran, will never forget.With its forces, personnel, equipment, and massive arms deals, Saudi Arabia possesses the capability to inflict upon them a defeat that they would find extremely difficult to accept, perhaps only on the brink of collapse.They have chosen “criminal blackmail.” They must therefore bear its consequences. They will taste woe, destruction, and fire.Saudi Arabia is patient. But when it strikes, it hurts and it retaliates twofold. There is no consolation for the haters.
When the Houthis cross every red line!
