Amb. Barbara Leaf Joins BBC News to Discuss Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia

Arnold & Porter Senior International Policy Advisor and former U.S. Ambassador Barbara Leaf joined BBC News to discuss the Houthis’ escalating attacks on critical infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, Riyadh’s options for responding, and the role Iran plays in the conflict.

Amb. Leaf underscored that the attacks should not be viewed as a failure of Saudi defenses, given the scale of the Houthis’ arsenal and years of Iranian and Hezbollah support. “No single power, including the United States, has been able to effectively counter and defeat the Houthi,” she observed.

On Iran’s role, Amb. Leaf described the timing of the attacks as closely aligned with Iran’s strategic ambitions, noting that Tehran is enlisting regional partners to counter mounting U.S. economic pressure. “The Iranians are not going to sit quietly and allow U.S. naval blockade and other coercive economic measures to simply drive them into the ground,” she said.