Abha and Khamis Mushait at night from the International Space Station, showing geographic proximity of Saudi Asir highlands cities

The Houthis Ended the Truce Riyadh Bombed First

Yahya Saree formally ended the four-year Saudi-Houthi truce July 13, striking Abha with ballistic missiles and drones and opening a southern front on Riyadh.

That truce termination was confirmed the same day when Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation closed all four southern civilian airports — Abha, Jizan, Najran, and Sharurah — under a single NOTAM sequence, a four-minute administrative window that revealed both the scale of Houthi ambition and the triage posture Riyadh is now forced to hold.

The same day, separate Reuters sourcing revealed that Iran had transmitted a conditional order through Houthi channels: if US strikes reach Iranian power infrastructure, the Houthi movement should close Bab al-Mandeb — threatening Saudi Arabia’s last functioning oil export corridor at the moment Hormuz is already shut. The Houthi threat to Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea export corridor adds a second maritime chokepoint to the kingdom’s exposure.

The House of Saud Daily Briefing

Saudi Arabia's news in 3 minutes, every morning. Free. See today's issue

Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, photographed from NASA Landsat 7 satellite
Previous Story

Trump Guards the Strait — Saudi Arabia Pays the Toll

Abha and Khamis Mushait at night from the International Space Station, showing geographic proximity of Saudi Asir highlands cities
Next Story

The Houthis Ended the Truce Riyadh Bombed First

Latest from Defence & Security

The House of Saud Daily Briefing

Saudi Arabia's news in 3 minutes, every morning.

One email a day. Free. See today's issue

Something went wrong. Please try again.