Saudi Arabia spends billions on its military. Why can’t it stop deadly attacks by Iran’s Houthi allies?

October 21, 2026 / 1:46 PM EDT / CBS News

Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia in recent weeks have inflicted severe losses on the kingdom, with missiles hitting energy infrastructure and civilian airports, killing at least 20 people.

The Iranian proxy group has struck the headquarters of Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil company, and is fighting Saudi-backed government forces for control of Yemen's coastline on the Red Sea, a vital waterway for global energy supplies. The fighting has put further upward pressure on oil and gas prices as Iran and the U.S. fight over the nearby Strait of Hormuz.

Saudi Arabia, despite its size, wealth and a substantial military, has appeared to be on the back foot as it faces the Yemeni rebels. The kingdom's opaque government releases regular statements about Houthi ballistic missiles and drones being intercepted, including five it said were destroyed Wednesday.

But many have got through, including an Oct. 10 strike that killed 13 people at Riyadh's King Khalid Airport, including a U.S. citizen.

"No country can ever have a 100% interception rating, that just doesn't really exist," Elizabeth Dent, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told CBS News, but…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/