US Holds Talks with Houthis While Backing Saudi Coalition — SkimNews
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- US officials held direct talks with Houthi representatives at the US embassy in Muscat, Oman last weekend, where the Houthis pledged not to attack US vessels and reaffirmed commitment to the 2025 ceasefire
- Saudi Arabia asked France, Pakistan, Egypt, and the United Kingdom to deploy air-defense support after its missile interceptor supplies ran low during the war with Iran, according to two officials cited by AP
- The United States reiterated "strong support" for Yemen's internationally recognized government through envoy Neil Hop, even as America's own interceptor stockpile has dwindled over the course of the war
- Houthi forces claimed to have shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Marib using a "locally made surface-to-air missile," which Al Jazeera's Yemen correspondent Yousef Mawry said could shift the balance of power
- Yemeni government forces launched drone attacks in Marib governorate while the Saudi-led coalition struck Houthi positions around the southwestern port city of Mocha
- Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Saudi warplanes launched 40 air strikes on Taiz, Marib, and Hodeidah over the past 24 hours, while the Houthis targeted the Khamis Mushait airbase and an oil facility at the Saudi Red Sea port of Yanbu
Why it matters: Saudi Arabia depends heavily on air strikes against Houthi positions, yet both its own and the US interceptor stockpiles have dwindled, forcing Riyadh to seek air-defense help from four nations simultaneously. If the reported F-15 shoot-down is confirmed, Saudi Arabia's ability to sustain the air campaign — the backbone of coalition pressure on the Houthis — comes into question at a moment when US diplomacy is engaging the rebels directly.
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