Trump weighed strikes against Houthis in Yemen before holding off
· Axios
President Trump over the weekend considered ordering a strike against the Houthis in Yemen before deciding to hold off for now, two U.S. officials said.
Why it matters: Trump was caught between wanting to help his friend and ally, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and avoiding getting entangled on a new front in the Middle East.
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Catch up quick: Ten days ago, bin Salman (MBS) called Trump twice on the same day, urging him to launch strikes against the Houthis as the Iran-backed group closed in on a vital Red Sea chokepoint.
- Trump rejected the request and agreed only to help the Saudis with intelligence and targeting data.
- U.S. officials said at the time they wouldn't take military action as long as the Houthis did not interrupt non-Saudi ship traffic in the Red Sea.
- Several days later, U.S. diplomats met with Houthi officials and received assurances that the rebel group has no intention of closing the Bab-al-Mandeb Strait.
Behind the scenes: But late last week the Saudis, who were having trouble pushing back on Houthi advances, again asked Trump to take military action in Yemen, the two U.S. officials said.
- They said that over the weekend Trump held consultations with his senior advisers about the possibility of strikes against the Houthis.
- One U.S. official said the commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), Adm. Brad Cooper, prepared options for airstrikes in Yemen and presented them to Secretary of Defense Hegseth on Saturday.
- But Trump ultimately decided to hold off, another U.S. official said.
- The New York Times first reported about Trump's deliberations around the possible strike in Yemen.
- The White House and the Saudi embassy in Washington declined to comment.
What they're saying: "The president changed his mind and did not want to open a Pandora's box by striking because it could cause the Houthis to hold the Bab-al-Mandeb at risk and create a second choke point," Alex Plitsas, a fellow at the Atlantic Council and former Pentagon official, told Axios.
- That "would cause oil prices to spike further when the Saudis were supposed to take the lead on dealing with the Houthi problem," he added.
State of play: The Saudis, together with Yemeni government forces, have been working for two weeks on a counteroffensive against the Houthi rebels, but it has been delayed several times, sources say.
- In the meantime, the Houthis have been escalating strikes against Saudi Arabia. Over the weekend, they launched a missile toward Riyadh.