Why Can't Saudi Arabia Defend Itself from the Houthis?

Saudi Arabia possesses expensive American air defences and thousands of foreign troops, yet Houthi missiles and drones continue striking civilian airports, oil facilities, and cities. The rebels exploit a critical weakness: coordinated swarms of cheap weapons overwhelm costly interceptor systems, depleting stockpiles that cannot be replaced for years to come. References https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/saudi-warning-system-stayed-silent-before-deadly-airport-attacks-2026-10-12/ https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/skies-over-saudi-capital-riyadh-largely-empty-after-deadly-houthi-strikes-2026-10-12/ https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/yemens-houthis-renew-warning-over-saudi-airports-after-deadly-riyadh-attack-2026-10-11/ https://x.com/TheStudyofWar/status/2109397563908452603 https://x.com/FaytuksNetwork/status/2110001441842819130 https://x.com/mdburnell/status/2109761978159747544 https://x.com/OSINTWarfare/status/2109841303118782797 https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/saudis-probe-how-defense-systems-failed-to-stop-deadly-houthi-attack-on-riyadh-airport https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-13/saudis-probe-houthi-attack-on-riyadh-airport-amid-ongoing-attack/107258142 https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/houthi-attack-riyadh-airport-saudi-b3065779.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/10/12/saudi-yemen-houthis-riyadh-airport/2bd87082-c63b-11f1-aefb-abe4112d087e_story.html https://apnews.com/article/saudi-yemen-houthis-riyadh-airport-40c6ab822df376688ce1a0955a044488 https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/19/how-saudi-arabia-failed-to-protect-itself-from-drones-missile-attacks.html https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/12/saudi-arabia-suspends-flights-latest-deadly-houthi-attack-airport https://www.nbcnews.com/world/middle-east/deadly-saudi-airport-strikes-mark-major-mideast-escalation-rcna602922 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjly0zqq27e4o https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/10/world/middleeast/riyadh-airport-attack-energy-congress.html https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/13/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-yemen-houthis-aramco-threat.html https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/12/why-are-the-houthis-attacking-saudi-airports-riyadh-yemen https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/13/houthis-threaten-saudi-arabias-aramco-facilities-and-airports https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/10/05/turkey-and-pakistan-pledge-to-deploy-troops-to-saudi-arabia_6758277_4.html https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/03/us-iran-war-air-strikes/686228/ https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/05/iran-shahed-136-drone-cost-air-defense-gulf-war-us-israel-gulf-scorpion-strike-centcom.html https://www.politico.com/news/2023/12/19/missile-drone-pentagon-houthi-attacks-iran-00132480