Saudi-Houthi Clashes Kill at Least Five as China Privately Presses Iran to Rein in Houthis

Escalating cross-border attacks between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi forces killed at least five people, including three children, on Thursday, September 17, 2026, Al Jazeera reported. A Yemeni resident in Saudi Arabia was killed and two others were wounded in the Taif region after a Houthi drone was intercepted, the report said, while in Yemen, the Houthis said Saudi warplanes struck three telecommunications towers in Taiz province, killing one civilian.

Houthi leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi called Saudi claims that his group targeted Mecca with a drone a "heinous lie." Separately, unnamed Iranian sources told Reuters that China has privately asked Iranian officials to help rein in the Houthis, a request that came after Saudi Arabia appealed to Beijing over the recent Houthi attacks; publicly, China has only called for restraint, dialogue and the restoration of safe navigation.