Saudi Arabia Requests US Attack on Houthis, This is Washington's Response
The United States government has rejected Saudi Arabia’s request to launch direct military attacks against Houthi rebels in Yemen after the group seized the strategic port city of Mokha.
According to the news site Axios on Thursday (11/9), Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman contacted US President Donald Trump twice in close succession on Thursday to request US air support as the rebel group moved towards the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
In the first contact, the Saudi leader conveyed the setbacks faced by Yemeni forces allied with Riyadh, before officially requesting direct military intervention several hours later.
Trump rejected the request to maintain the US strategic focus on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, and to avoid opening a new theatre of conflict, according to several sources familiar with the matter speaking to Axios.
Despite refusing to launch direct airstrikes, the White House agreed to provide non-kinetic assistance by allowing the transfer of intelligence information and targeting data that could be used to assist Saudi forces. This information sharing complements the approximately 200 US military personnel stationed in Saudi Arabia to carry out advisory and liaison duties.
Washington also dispatched US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander, Admiral Brad Cooper, to Saudi Arabia on Thursday to consult with senior Saudi defence officials. This development occurs amidst rising tensions between Riyadh and the Houthi group.
In his statement to the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the UN, Abdulaziz Alwasil, warned that the kingdom would take all necessary steps following the Houthi attacks earlier this week. Attacks on several civilian locations in cities in southern Saudi Arabia caused 73 injuries.
The seizure of Mokha and the surrounding coastal areas holds immense strategic importance due to its proximity to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a vital shipping lane connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
Yemen has experienced a military escalation between government forces and the Houthis since early July, following years of relative calm following the ceasefire that began in April 2022.
The Houthis have controlled the national capital, Sanaa, and most of northern and western Yemen since September 2014, while the government and its allied forces control territories in the south and east. Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia has led a coalition supporting the Yemeni government against the Houthis, who are accused of receiving support from Iran.