Why Fighting Between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia Paused Talks With Iran

The Houthis said on September 15 they fired dozens of missiles and drones at a military airbase in Khamis Mushait in southern Saudi Arabia, as reported by Reuters. It followed a week of attacks back and forth across the border.

Strikes and counterstrikes

The September 15 claim came after earlier Houthi attacks on Abha, Khamis Mushait and Jazan with ballistic missiles, which are fast long-distance rockets, and drones, which are small planes flown without a pilot. Those attacks were reported on September 9. Saudi Arabia said on September 10 that recent Houthi attacks wounded 73 people, including women and children, according to Reuters.

Riyadh answered with airstrikes inside Yemen. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Saudi warplanes carried out 54 airstrikes across Yemeni provinces, according to Reuters. That is the Houthi count. Independent verification was not included.

Reported casualties

Saba News Agency said three citizens were killed in Saudi airstrikes on Dhubab and Maqbanah, in a report published September 10. It then reported on September 14 that Saudi warplanes hit Dhubab District in Taiz, causing reported civilian casualties. A separate Saba report said more than 20 civilians were killed and dozens wounded in three Saudi airstrikes on a market and gas station in Hodeidah.

The two sides blame each other. Saba blames Saudi action for civilian deaths. Saudi Arabia blames Houthi action for injuries. The claims cannot be reconciled from the verified facts alone. Attacks are hitting Saudi cities and a military base in the south and Yemeni districts in Taiz and Hodeidah.

Talks postponed

Gulf Arab states postponed planned talks with Iran amid the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. The postponement was reported September 13 by Reuters. The talks were the nearest-term way to lower tensions between Tehran and the Gulf capitals.

The broader context here is a tit-for-tat cycle where fighting and talks are now closely tied. Missile and drone attacks bring airstrikes in return. Airstrikes bring claims of civilian deaths. Those claims make it harder for leaders to meet. The pause does not end diplomacy, but it removes a near-term exit from the crisis.

In my view, watch speed, targets, and the link to talks. Attacks sped up from city strikes to dozens of weapons aimed at one airbase. Targets now include an airbase and cities on the Saudi side, and markets and fuel sites on the Yemeni side according to Houthi-aligned reports. The link is direct, with Gulf-Iran contact paused during strikes. In the past, Yemen air campaigns and Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia ran side by side without stopping regional diplomacy. This time the stop was immediate. That suggests Gulf capitals see Houthi attacks as a clue to Iranian intent, whether Tehran directs them or not. Each new attack on Khamis Mushait or Jazan makes a new meeting date harder. Each new report of deaths in Taiz or Hodeidah makes restraint harder to defend at home.