Saudi Arabia is increasingly under siege

The Telegraph, as republished by Yahoo News, reports that Iran-backed militias in Iraq struck the kingdom's East-West pipeline[2], and that the Houthis are advancing along Yemen's Red Sea coast, threatening the Bab el-Mandeb strait.[2]According to the Arab Gulf States Institute, the Houthis launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, including a recent hit on fuel storage facilities at Riyadh airport.[3]The Telegraph reports that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly phoned Donald Trump twice seeking American military intervention[2], but that Mr Trump declined the strikes that Riyadh wanted.[2] The paper says Mr Trump told reporters: "The Houthis called us, and they don't want to fight with us."[2]Fortune reports that Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia agreed to rapidly deploy forces to Saudi Arabia in response to the Houthi attacks.[4]Rob Geist Pinfold of King's College London told The Telegraph that "the Saudis have been thus far unable to rely on their traditional strategy of relying on partners and allies"[2].Fortune reports that foreign direct investment into Saudi Arabia fell 18% in the second quarter[4]. It also says the Finance Ministry last week raised its estimated 2026 budget deficit to SAR245 billion (4.9% of GDP)[4].The Arab Gulf States Institute estimates that real gross domestic product is now likely to contract by 6.5% in 2026[3].