Saudi Prince Sought US Strike on Houthis; US Declined — SkimNews
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- Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sought US military assistance from Trump on Thursday to help fight Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, according to two sources familiar with the matter
- Trump held at least two phone calls with the Saudi leader Thursday; Washington told Riyadh it was not willing to take direct military action for now but would help with intelligence sharing and targeting
- CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper traveled to Saudi Arabia on Thursday for talks, two sources said, though the source does not explicitly link the trip to the strike request
- Saudi Arabia has reversed its earlier position—previously telling the US it could fight the Houthis on its own and urging Washington against escalation, while instead pushing for more economic pressure on Iran
- Houthis control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait threatens a second major oil transit corridor that Riyadh has relied on since the Iran conflict effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil once flowed
- Axios first reported the Saudi request; the White House declined to address questions about the phone calls, while a senior administration official said Washington remains in continuous dialogue with Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government
Why it matters: Saudi Arabia's reversal—from insisting it could fight the Houthis alone to requesting American intervention—signals the Red Sea shipping threat has outstripped Riyadh's capacity. With Washington declining direct strikes, Saudi Arabia bears the military burden while Houthi control of Bab el-Mandeb threatens a second major oil corridor alongside the already-closed Strait of Hormuz.
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