# Third day of Houthi attacks puts Saudi airports and energy sites under strain as allies step in

*Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at 6:08 PM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-10-13T18:08:18.202Z (3h ago)
**Category**: conflict | **Region**: Middle East
**Importance**: 9/10
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/20473.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Deck**: Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have entered a third day, threatening airports and energy infrastructure from Riyadh to Dammam and prompting new British military support as Türkiye moves toward ratifying a Mecca defense pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

Sustained Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia for a third straight day are keeping airports and energy infrastructure under pressure and drawing in outside powers as the campaign spreads concern from the capital Riyadh to the Gulf hub of Dammam.

By 16:56 UTC on 13 October, reporting described a continuing wave of strikes that has expanded the area under threat across Saudi territory, with airports and energy facilities among the sites at risk. The Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah, has used drones and other munitions against Saudi-linked targets, including strikes on members and vehicles of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council.

According to open-source analysis of the Yemen theatre, the group has been employing Rajoum hexacopter drones armed with air-dropped 120 mm DIO M48 high-explosive mortar bombs, OF-843 pattern bombs and various locally made ammunition. These systems have been documented in use against PLC members and their vehicles.

The Saudi campaign is already prompting new external involvement. Britain is now providing military support to bolster Saudi defenses against Houthi attacks. Türkiye, meanwhile, is moving toward ratifying the Mecca defense pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, which would formalize closer security cooperation at a time when Saudi territory is under sustained fire.

U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly criticised the Houthis’ renewed attacks on Saudi Arabia and linked their actions to Iran. In a message on his social media platform, he said the Houthis are behaving badly, referred to previous U.S. bombing of Houthi targets, and suggested the group had resumed attacks probably at Iran’s behest. He described Iran in highly negative terms, including its economic situation and military capabilities, and framed the current strikes as hitting Saudi Arabia in a severe way.

For energy markets and air travel, the key questions now are whether Houthis attempt more complex or longer-range strikes against major Saudi oil facilities or busy airports, how quickly British assistance translates into additional defensive capacity on the ground, and whether progress on the Mecca defense pact results in concrete deployments from Türkiye or Pakistan. Any confirmed hit on major energy infrastructure or a crowded terminal would move the situation from persistent pressure toward a broader regional security crisis.