Trump backs MBS's 'highly unusual' Saudi strikes on Houthis
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- Trump gave Saudi Crown Prince MBS his backing for "highly unusual" strikes on the Iran-backed Houthis, with MBS notifying Trump in advance and asking for support during a Friday phone call, per U.S. officials.
- Saudi Arabia bombed Sanaa airport Monday as an Iranian Mahan Air plane was returning from Iran with a Houthi delegation, forcing the plane to divert to Al Hudaydah on the Red Sea coast.
- The Houthis retaliated by firing ballistic missiles and drones at Abha airport in southwest Saudi Arabia and warned airlines to avoid Saudi airspace until the Sanaa blockade is lifted.
- The trigger: 10 days earlier, a Mahan Air plane — which the U.S. says is the IRGC's sanctioned airline — landed in Houthi-controlled Sanaa to collect Houthi leaders attending former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei's funeral; Saudi Arabia had blocked such flights for over a decade.
- U.S. officials claim the Mahan Air plane was carrying weapons, missile parts, and military experts for the Houthis, framing the Saudi strike as a counter to a direct Iranian resupply operation.
- The diplomatic sequence unfolded over days: Saudi Arabia told the U.S. it was concerned last week, its ambassador met Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday, Rubio spoke with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan the next day, then Trump phoned MBS shortly after.
Why it matters: MBS asking for U.S. backing before striking signals Saudi Arabia anticipates a broader, prolonged conflict it cannot handle alone — pulling U.S. military and diplomatic weight into a renewed Saudi-Houthi war. The trigger was a sanctioned IRGC-linked flight, hardening the case that Iran is directly resupplying the Houthis and risking further escalation.
