Trump changes course twice on Houthi airstrikes after Saudi pressure, says NYT

US President Donald Trump has adjusted his approach to the Yemen conflict multiple times, according to The New York Times. The Times reported on Sunday that Trump faced a dilemma between Saudi pressure to strike the Iran-backed Houthis and the potential for escalating the Middle East war. The Houthis have recently launched a swift offensive to seize control of Yemen's Red Sea coast, forcing the Saudi-backed government to respond.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reached out to Trump on Sunday, urging him to intervene and help curb the Houthi advance. Initially, Trump's advisers were against airstrikes, but after the call with the Saudi leader, he directed the Pentagon to prepare for a Houthi strike. However, by midday Sunday, Trump seemed to have changed his mind again, as reported by anonymous administration officials.

The Times cited two sources briefed on the operation to support this alleged reversal. The decision to avoid striking the Houthis coincided with commanders approving target lists, troops loading bombs onto US warplanes, and the attacks seemingly about to commence. Axios, a US news platform, confirmed that Trump had previously rejected a Saudi request to strike the Houthis the previous week.

According to Fox News, Trump claimed that the Houthis had agreed not to target US interests. The Middle East war began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, leading Iran to retaliate around the region. The Islamic republic and its-backed groups, including the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon, subsequently joined the conflict.

The Yemen war, which began in 2014 with the Houthi capture of the capital, Sanaa, had largely been halted since 2022 but reignited in July. Saudi Arabia has been leading a coalition supporting the internationally recognized government since 2015, escalating the war that has resulted in one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises, according to AFP.