Washington rejected Riyadh’s request for a direct military air operation after the Houthis captured Yemen’s strategic coastal city of Mokha.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly spoke twice with US President Donald Trump at short intervals as the Houthis advanced toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. During the first call, the two sides discussed the withdrawal of allied Yemeni forces; hours later, the second call conveyed a request for direct military intervention.
Trump rejected the request to preserve a strategic approach focused on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz and to avoid opening a new front in the conflict.
Washington to provide intelligence support
While deciding not to participate directly in the airstrikes, the United States agreed to provide intelligence and targeting information for use by Saudi forces in their operations. The support will continue alongside the work of around 200 US military personnel carrying out advisory and coordination duties in Saudi Arabia.
Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, was sent to Saudi Arabia on Thursday to meet senior Saudi defense officials.
Riyadh says it will take “all necessary measures”
The developments came as tensions between Riyadh and the Houthis in Yemen escalated. Speaking at the United Nations Security Council, Saudi Arabia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Abdulaziz al-Wasil, said that “all necessary measures” would be taken after attacks by the Houthis earlier in the week on civilian areas in the south of the country that reportedly injured 73 people.
Mokha and the surrounding coastline are strategically important to international maritime transport because of their proximity to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
Tensions rise in Yemen after ceasefire
Military tensions between Yemen’s government forces and the Houthis began rising again in early July, after years of relative calm following the ceasefire that began in April 2022.
The Houthis have controlled the capital, Sanaa, as well as large areas in northern and western Yemen since September 2014, while the government and allied forces control areas in the south and east. Saudi Arabia has led the coalition supporting Yemen’s government since March 2015, while the Houthis have been accused of receiving support from Iran.
