Saudi Prince Asks Trump to Strike Yemen Houthis — SkimNews
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- Mohammed bin Salman sought Trump's help against Yemen's Houthis during at least two phone calls on Thursday, according to two sources familiar with the matter
- Washington told Riyadh it would not take direct military action for now but would assist with intelligence sharing and targeting
- CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper traveled to Saudi Arabia on Thursday for talks, two sources said
- The request marks a shift from Saudi Arabia's July position, when it told the US it could fight the Houthis on its own and urged Washington to increase economic pressure on Iran instead
- Houthi control of the Red Sea's Bab el-Mandeb Strait threatens a second major oil transit corridor; Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, has already been relying on the Red Sea route since the Iran conflict disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz
- The escalation traces to early July, when Houthi forces confronted Saudi warplanes attempting to prevent an Iranian civilian aircraft from landing at Sanaa International Airport
Why it matters: Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, has reversed its July position that it could handle the Houthis alone — the pivot signals that threats to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait have become too costly to absorb without American firepower, especially since Saudi oil already flows through the Red Sea after Hormuz disruptions eliminated a fifth of global oil transit through that chokepoint.
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