Targets approved, bombs loaded & then Trump blinked: Why US pulled back from Houthi strikes

Yemen's Houthi rebels are reshaping the Gulf order, leaving Saudi Arabia as the biggest loser. The conflict has reached a critical phase, with the Iran-aligned group calling the shots while the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is left out in the cold. Houthi supporters displayed portraits of their leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, in a protest denouncing Saudi aggression against Yemen.

A ballistic missile strike targeted a fuel depot near Riyadh's international airport, causing air raid sirens to wail across Saudi cities like Jeddah, Taif, and Yanbu. The Houthi strikes demonstrated how vulnerable the Gulf kingdom is to the Yemeni group's recent wave of attacks on the country. Despite receiving a deal from the group to uphold a 2025 ceasefire with the US, the US President, Donald Trump, refused to provide support to his friend Mohammed bin Salman.

The $600 billion investment Trump promised to the Saudi crown prince has provided little protection from the world's military superpower. Instead of intervening, Trump made a deal with the Houthi rebels, ensuring that the Red Sea remains open to global shipping, except for Saudi vessels. Saudi Arabia's main route for energy and shipping through the Red Sea is now threatened by Iran's allies, causing oil and diesel prices to spike.

Britain's new prime minister has agreed to send military advisers to Saudi Arabia, increasing the possibility of the UK being drawn back into the Saudi war on Yemen.