Israel

Jérusalem, September 19, 2026. For the Israeli press, the air alert triggered on Saturday over Riyadh confirms a feared scenario for months: the collapse of the Saudi defense system in the face of a militia supported by Iran. According to Ynetnews, citing several Western, regional, and Yemeni officials, the Houthis had gathered some 100,000 fighters without Riyadh or its allies detecting the extent of it. A diplomat quoted by the site says: "Everyone, including the Saudis, missed this buildup and misjudged the intentions of the Houthis." Neil Quilliam, from the British think tank Chatham House, speaks of a "flagrant intelligence failure".

The Jerusalem Post reports on the first anti-aircraft alert targeting the Saudi capital itself and the city of Al-Kharj, on Saturday morning. A Reuters journalist heard two explosions in the Olaya neighborhood in Riyadh before the alert was lifted. The UN Security Council condemned on Friday "in the strongest terms" the Houthi attacks against the kingdom, citing civilian casualties, "including women and children".

The rout of the Saudi forces has also handed over to the Houthis a stock of abandoned American and Saudi armaments, which could, according to regional sources cited by Ynetnews, strengthen their capabilities. Under pressure, the kingdom is seeking support: The Jerusalem Post reports that China has privately asked Tehran to contain the Houthis after a call from Riyadh, but Iran responded that regional stability depends on the end of the "American-Israeli war against Iran".

One fact is particularly noteworthy in Jerusalem: according to Ynetnews citing Reuters, American officials met with Houthi representatives in Muscat, where the movement committed to not targeting American or Israeli ships, except for Saudi vessels. The press finally notes the drop in oil prices after the revelation of the Saudi bypass via the Omani port of Sohar, while Chinese prices reached a record high.