Where is the Saudi Air Force in all this?

The big question hanging over this entire new chapter of the Yemen war is a very simple one:

Where is the Saudi Air Force?

Without Saudi air cover, Yemeni government forces that have depended heavily on Riyadh’s backing face an enormous problem. They are confronting the Houthis… pic.twitter.com/RSkK7gmHB8

— Aimen Dean (@AimenDean) September 10, 2026

The big question hanging over this entire new chapter of the Yemen war is a very simple one:

Where is the Saudi Air Force?

Without Saudi air cover, Yemeni government forces that have depended heavily on Riyadh’s backing face an enormous problem. They are confronting the Houthis with no Saudi air cover, no American air cover, and – perhaps more importantly – no confidence that overwhelming air power will arrive when they need it.

That is potentially devastating for morale.

The Houthis understand this perfectly. They are advancing, taking territory and seeking to consolidate control over strategically critical positions around Bab el-Mandeb. If Saudi-backed Yemeni forces believe they have effectively been left to fight alone, the psychological consequences could be almost as important as the military ones.

And this brings us back to the lesson Saudi Arabia should have learned from the fighting between 2018 and 2022:

You cannot fight half a war.

Either Riyadh decides that preventing an Iranian-backed Houthi victory in Yemen is a strategic imperative and commits the military power necessary to pursue that objective, or it accepts that the Houthis may ultimately dominate Yemen.

Saudi Arabia possesses one of the largest and most modern combat-air fleets in the region. If that capability is deliberately kept out of the battle, then Saudi-backed forces on the ground will inevitably ask what exactly they are being expected to fight for, and with what support.

Half-wars do not produce half-results.

They produce total failures.

And if the Houthis really have taken Mocha, then I cannot resist the terrible dad joke:

Mocha has been iced

By NC ScoutPublished On: September 10, 2026Categories: Uncategorized0 Comments

About the Author: NC Scout

NC Scout is the nom de guerre of a former Infantry Scout and Sergeant in one of the Army’s best Reconnaissance Units. He has combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches a series of courses focusing on small unit skills rarely if ever taught anywhere else in the prepping and survival field, including his RTO Course which focuses on small unit communications. In his free time he is an avid hunter, bushcrafter, writer, long range shooter, prepper, amateur radio operator and Libertarian activist. He can be contacted at [email protected] or via his blog at brushbeater.wordpress.com .