Saudi Arabia in September 2026: the most important developments in politics
In September 2026 Saudi Arabia's politics centred on international reaction to Houthi attacks on the kingdom. A Houthi drone attack aimed at Mecca, which Saudi Arabia said it intercepted on 16 September, was condemned by Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Malaysia and the UAE; Riyadh called it a red line, and the Houthis denied the accusation. The UN Security Council condemned the Houthi escalation against Saudi Arabia on 19 and 25 September, the latter described as a rare display of consensus, and the G7 foreign ministers affirmed Riyadh's right to defend itself. King Salman called the Houthis a terrorist militia in a rare statement. Saudi Arabia was reported to be seeking a two-week ceasefire and talks with the Houthis.
The second theme was the Saudi relationship with Pakistan and Turkey. Pakistan's prime minister called the crown prince to express complete solidarity, and Pakistan's defence minister said it would stand by the kingdom. Pakistan appointed a former army general, Nauman Mahmood, as the first head of the Mecca alliance, and on 25 September military chiefs of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan held urgent talks in Riyadh under the pact. Pakistan said the pact is defensive and about collective deterrence. Pakistan vowed to defend Saudi Arabia against the Houthis by whatever means and urged Iran to rein them in.
The third theme was Washington's role. Mohammed bin Salman met the head of US Central Command on 14 September, Donald Trump nominated Wesley Hunt as ambassador, and Marco Rubio said the US will honor its defence commitments. Reports said Trump's reluctance to confront the Houthis had unsettled Riyadh. The crown prince visited Cairo on 15 September, where el-Sisi backed Saudi calls for secure navigation in the Red Sea, and Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with him about Gulf security. Reports also said Israel helped Saudi Arabia with intelligence against the Houthis, and Saudi Arabia turned down an Israeli request to allow its planes to collect flydubai passengers. On 29 September the crown prince received Emirati Vice President Mansour bin Zayed.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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