Saudi Arabia seeks support as Yemen war heats up again

The kingdom is asking allies to resupply its Patriot missile munitions as Riyadh and Yemen's Houthis trade bombardments.

AL-MONITOR Staff
AL-MONITOR Staff
Dec 7, 2021
A man looks at a damaged silo a day after an attack at the Saudi Aramco oil facility in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea city of Jeddah, on Nov. 24, 2020.
A man looks at a damaged silo a day after an attack at the Saudi Aramco oil facility in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea city of Jeddah, on Nov. 24, 2020. Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a missile attack on the facility on Nov. 23, triggering an explosion and a fire in a fuel tank, officials said. — FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia is pressing allies to supply additional missiles for its US-made Patriot air defense systems as its conflict with Yemen’s Houthi rebels once again intensifies.

Riyadh has asked both the United States and the European Union to provide additional munitions for its Patriot systems, The Wall Street Journal reported today.

The request comes as missile and drone attacks from Yemen into Saudi Arabia have spiked in recent months, with more than 20 drone strikes and 10 ballistic missile strikes landing in both October and November of this year, according to the report, which cited a Saudi government official.

The Saudi-led coalition announced today it bombed Houthi military targets in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, after the rebels launched a barrage of drones and ballistic missiles into the kingdom.

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