Saudi Arabia and Yemeni government forces are planning a major counteroffensive against the Houthis to push them away from the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, but the US is again declining to join with airstrikes, two US officials told Axios
Saudi Arabia and forces of Yemen’s government are preparing a large-scale offensive to push back the Iran-backed Houthis, two US officials told Axios. The strike, expected within days, targets stretches of the Red Sea coast from which the Houthis control the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb.
For the second time in recent weeks, the US has rebuffed Saudi pleas to join the operation and carry out airstrikes. US officials say that position could change if the operation runs into problems.
Houthis, on Friday said Saudi forces carried out 94 airstrikes against areas under their control over the past 24 hours, as Riyadh prepares for a possible military campaign.
Houthi advances and Saudi response
In recent weeks, the Houthis took over key areas of the southern Red Sea coast that control the strait. They also stepped up missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia, and the Saudis retaliated with airstrikes against Houthi targets.
The Bab al-Mandeb Strait is a vital artery for global trade and Saudi oil exports. Control over it gives the Iran-backed Houthis, a powerful point of leverage over the US, its Gulf allies and the world economy.
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A US official said the Saudis have been planning the operation for weeks and that Saudi leadership approved the plans several days ago. Ground forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognised government will take part, with Saudi air cover.
On Thursday, Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid Bin Salman called Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to brief him on the planned operation and to ask again for US airstrikes against Houthi targets, the US official said.
Another US official told Axios that the US “is not going to take kinetic action for now.”
Trump holds off on strike
Last week, President Trump came close to launching a strike on the Houthis after a request from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), but eventually decided to hold off.
The US Central Command (Centcom) also had serious reservations about launching strikes in Yemen and saw it as a distraction from its focus on Iran, a US official said.
US officials told the outlet that the US military is helping the Saudis with everything short of direct combat, mainly intelligence and targeting data.
One US official said the US military provided the Saudis with more than 200 Houthi targets to strike in the last two weeks. The official said the strikes significantly increased pressure on the Houthis.