US rejects Saudi strike request on Houthis, offers intelligence: Axios
12:33, 11/09/2026, FridayU: Update: 12:36, 11/09/2026, Friday
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File photoThe White House declined Saudi Arabia's urgent request for direct military strikes against Houthi rebels following their capture of the Yemeni port city of Mokha, offering instead intelligence support and targeting data as the group advanced toward the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, Axios reported on Thursday.
US President Donald Trump rejected urgent appeals from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for direct air strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen, choosing to maintain focus on the confrontation with Iran while avoiding expansion into a second theater, sources familiar with the discussions said on Thursday. The Saudi leader contacted Trump twice on Thursday as Houthi forces captured the strategic coastal city of Mokha and pushed toward the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, first briefing the US president on retreats by allied Yemeni units before formally requesting American kinetic intervention hours later, according to Axios.
Intelligence support authorized
Rejecting direct combat operations, the administration agreed to provide non-kinetic assistance including actionable intelligence and targeting data to support Saudi forces, supplementing the approximately 200 US military personnel already stationed in the kingdom for advisory duties, the report said. Washington also dispatched US Central Command Commander Admiral Brad Cooper to Saudi Arabia on Thursday for consultations with senior defense officials in Riyadh.
Saudi warning at UN
The diplomatic exchanges coincided with sharp warnings from Riyadh following Houthi strikes on civilian sites across southern Saudi cities earlier this week that wounded 73 people. Speaking before the UN Security Council on Thursday, Saudi Ambassador Abdulaziz Alwasil stated that the kingdom would take "all measures necessary" in response to the attacks, emphasizing the strategic importance of Mokha and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait as vital shipping lanes connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
Yemen conflict background
Yemen has seen renewed military escalation between government forces and the Houthis since early July, after years of relative calm following a truce that began in April 2022. The Houthis have controlled the national capital Sanaa and large areas of northern and western Yemen since September 2014, while Saudi Arabia has led a coalition supporting the government since March 2015.