ABU DHABI, October 7, 2026 — The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday condemned in the strongest terms the Houthi group’s continued targeting of civilians and civilian and economic facilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as Saudi vessels in the southern Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
In a statement carried by the Emirates News Agency (WAM), the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said the continued Houthi attacks constitute a flagrant violation of the Kingdom’s sovereignty and a threat to its security and stability.
The ministry reaffirmed the UAE’s full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its support for all measures aimed at safeguarding the Kingdom’s security and stability, according to the statement.
Condemnation follows wave of cross-border strikes
The UAE’s statement came on a day of escalating cross-border violence, as the Houthis claimed a series of missile and drone strikes on Saudi airports and military installations, state media reported.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Houthis said they had targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with a ballistic missile, a claim carried by Houthi media channels. The Saudi-led coalition said its air defences intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile north of Riyadh, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki said the coalition was tracking the missile’s launch platform over Sanaa using its intelligence systems and would destroy it, adding that the coalition continued to neutralise ballistic and surface-to-surface missile threats at their sources.
Separately, the coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile launched toward the southwestern Saudi city of Khamis Mushait, Saudi state television reported. The Houthis claimed strikes on Abha International Airport and military camps in the southern regions of Jizan and Asir.
Muslim world lines up behind Riyadh
The UAE’s condemnation follows a wave of similar statements from across the Muslim world, as regional and Islamic bodies rallied behind the Kingdom amid the deepening conflict with the Houthis.
Muslim nations strongly condemned the Houthis’ continued targeting of civilians and economic infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, as well as the targeting of Saudi ships in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, regional outlets reported on Wednesday.
Observers said the flurry of condemnations signals growing Arab and Islamic solidarity with Riyadh as the fighting in Yemen intensifies, with Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces pressing a counter-offensive along the Red Sea coast this week.
Shipping routes under pressure
The targeting of Saudi vessels in the southern Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has raised fresh alarm over one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors, analysts said.
Earlier this week, Saudi-backed Yemeni forces retook stretches of the Bab el-Mandeb coast from the Houthis in a lightning offensive, a development reported to have triggered a fresh wave of Houthi missile and drone launches.
Maritime security specialists said continued attacks on shipping in the strait — a chokepoint for energy exports and global trade — could further disrupt vessel movements and drive up insurance and freight costs for Gulf exporters.
The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement stressed that the continued targeting of civilian facilities and vessels was a direct threat not only to Saudi Arabia’s security but to regional stability and the safety of international navigation in the Red Sea.
