Trump reverses course on strikes against Houthis

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi group has launched an offensive to gain control of the nation's Red Sea coast in recent weeks. The US president, Donald Trump, has altered his approach toward Yemen multiple times, according to a report by The New York Times. The newspaper highlighted a tense standoff between Saudi pressure to launch strikes against the Houthis and the risk of escalating the war in the Middle East.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reached out to Trump on Sunday, urging him to intervene and counter the rapidly advancing Houthis. Initially, Trump had expressed opposition to strikes the previous day but altered his stance after the call. He instructed the Pentagon to prepare for airstrikes against the Houthis, according to anonymous administration officials. However, Trump seemed to reconsider his decision by midday Sunday, as reported by The New York Times.

The crisis unfolded as US commanders had authorized target lists, and troops were loading bombs onto US warplanes for the mission. The offensive was about to commence when Trump decided to pull back from strikes against the Houthis. Axios reported that Trump had previously refused a Saudi request to strike the Houthis last week. Fox News also mentioned on Sunday that Trump had indicated the Houthis had pledged not to target US interests.

The Middle Eastern conflict began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Iran retaliated by striking various regions, leading to the involvement of Iranian-backed factions such as the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The war in impoverished Yemen, which started in 2014 following the Houthi seizure of the capital Sanaa, had been largely halted since 2022 but reignited in July.

Saudi Arabia has led the coalition supporting the internationally recognized government since 2015, intensifying the conflict that has resulted in one of the world's gravest humanitarian crises.