A new “disaster” in the Middle East may further jeopardize Republicans’ electoral prospects in November, with the GOP already facing an uphill battle amid soaring prices, two analysts warned on Saturday.

According to BBC, the Yemeni militant group known as the Houthis claimed to have carried out missile attacks on Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, as well as on “energy sites” on Saudi Arabia’s west coast, which borders the Red Sea. The attacks, one analyst warned, could raise global oil prices — which have climbed significantly in recent days — even further.

“Creates quite the predicament,” warned CNN national security analyst Alex Plitsas. “Attacking Saudi oil raises prices. Saudi is also a major US ally. Failing to respond to that is problematic for the alliance, but also could cause a second choke point in the [Bab al-Mandeb Strait], also causing prices to rise. Six weeks before elections.”

This month, the Iran-backed Houthis have gained significant control over the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a critical global shipping chokepoint in the Red Sea. The developments risk sending global oil prices even higher as the Houthis vow to block Saudi shipments of oil through the shipping waterway.

National-security writer and geopolitical analyst Brandon Weichert called the development a “disaster,” and warned that it was an example of an ongoing “once-in-a-lifetime” shift on the world stage.

“This is a disaster. And oddly everyone just seems to be acting like it'll all work out,” Weichert wrote in a social media post on X Saturday. “It'll work out all right. In the form of a once-in-a-lifetime changeover in power and influence. You are witnessing the end of the US-led global empire in real time. And it's stupider than ever.”