Trump Nearly Bombed Yemen, Then Reversed Course Sunday — SkimNews
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- Donald Trump approved military targets and had US troops loading bombs onto warplanes for strikes on Yemen's Ansar Allah before abruptly reversing course on Sunday, according to a New York Times report cited in the article.
- Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spent two weeks urgently pressing Trump to intervene as Ansar Allah forces captured the strategic Red Sea port of Mocha and swept Saudi-backed fighters from the rest of Yemen's Red Sea coast.
- Ansar Allah withstood more than 1,000 US strikes during a seven-week 2025 campaign that burned through roughly $1 billion in munitions in its first month alone, leading Pentagon officials to question whether renewed bombing would accomplish anything.
- The State Department approved a $5 billion Saudi arms package of 5,000 2,000-pound bombs, 5,000 500-pound bombs, and JDAM guidance kits, on top of a planned $24 billion sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets.
- Sen. Ed Markey, joined by Sens. Jeff Merkley and Bernie Sanders, filed a Joint Resolution of Disapproval that could block the Saudi arms sales if it wins enough Senate votes.
- The US has dispatched roughly 200 additional troops to Saudi Arabia to provide intelligence and targeting support for Saudi airstrikes, including use of Palantir's Maven AI system.
- The July 13 ceasefire collapse began when Saudi Arabia struck Sana'a airport to block an Iranian Mahan Air civilian flight carrying passengers returning from the funeral of assassinated Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, triggering Houthi retaliation against the Saudi Abha airport.
Why it matters: The reversal preserves a fragile Oman-channel understanding under which Ansar Allah has pledged not to target US vessels — a deal that protects Red Sea shipping through the Bab al-Mandab Strait at a moment when the Strait of Hormuz is severely disrupted. If Trump had proceeded, the US would have resumed backing a decade-long Saudi air campaign that dropped over 69,000 munitions, killed at least 8,983 civilians, and contributed to a UN-estimated 377,000 deaths by 2021 — while the Saudi-based Presidential Leadership Council it props up has never governed the capital.
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