Saudis seek allies’ help as missile defences run low in fight with Houthis

Saudi Arabia is running low on missile interceptors and has turned to regional and Western allies for help as its stand-off with Houthi rebels in Yemen drags on, two regional officials said on Wednesday.The officials said the Saudis have asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt to deploy air-defence support to the region to help defend against missiles and drones fired by Houthis and other Iran-backed groups.The outreach was initiated because Saudi Arabia’s main ally and arms supplier, the United States, has seen its own stock of interceptors dwindle over the course of a six-month war with Iran, one official said. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media.Saudi officials did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.The fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis is the latest front to erupt as a result of the Iran war. On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia accused the Houthis of trying to attack Islam’s holiest city with a drone; the region responded with condemnation but no sign of military support.People and pilgrims walk at the Grand Mosque Complex in Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca on Wednesday. Photo: AFPThe kingdom declared Mecca, the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, a “red line” and said it had intercepted the drone. The Houthis denied targeting Mecca, about 1,100km (680 miles) from Yemen’s border.With the world’s biggest oil exporter under fire from rebels backed by the Saudis’ regional adversary, the kingdom needs a safe outlet for its crude as well as military aid. There is no clear path to either.