Saudi crown prince faces Houthi menace in one of his biggest crises

U.S. President Donald Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum in Washington in 2025. The crown prince courting Trump has thus far failed to secure direct military intervention. | Getty Images / via BLOOMBERG

Oct 15, 2026

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is facing one of the biggest crises of his tenure as the Houthis, whom he tried to crush a decade ago, attack the kingdom while his allies hold back.

The Houthi drone and missile campaign has killed at least 18 people and shut the country’s main airport, stretching the kingdom’s defenses. Hundreds of Saudi flights remain grounded, schools have moved online and the capital’s financial district has shifted to remote work — less than two weeks before Riyadh hosts its flagship gathering of global investors.

That leaves the crown prince, who has spent years and billions of dollars courting world leaders and financiers, in need of allies more than at any time since he became the de facto ruler in 2017. But with the Houthis hitting deep inside the kingdom from their base in Yemen, Crown Prince Mohammed may find Saudi Arabia has few options.

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