Saudi Crown Prince urges US to strike Houthis, Trump declines

This comes as Houthis expand their offensive along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called US President Donald Trump twice on Thursday, September 10, and urged him to authorise strikes against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis as the group advanced along the Red Sea coast, Axios reported, citing two US officials.

Trump declined the request. US officials said Washington does not currently plan to take direct military action against the Houthis, but will provide Saudi Arabia with intelligence and targeting support.

The calls came as Houthi forces seized the Red Sea city of Mocha, moving closer to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic waterway connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

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US steps up support for Saudi Arabia

US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper travelled to Saudi Arabia on Thursday for urgent coordination meetings, Axios reported.

About 200 US military personnel are already in Saudi Arabia providing non-kinetic support, a US official told the news outlet.

“The United States is focused on protecting our core national security interests — such as ensuring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea — while empowering our regional partners to take the lead in managing and resolving regional security challenges,” a senior Trump administration official said.

The White House and the Saudi embassy in Washington did not immediately comment on the reported calls.

Fighting intensifies

The latest escalation follows the collapse of a UN-brokered truce that had largely halted large-scale fighting in Yemen since 2022.

Tensions intensified in July after Saudi Arabia prevented an Iranian aircraft carrying senior Houthi officials from landing in Sanaa following their return from the funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The Houthis later attacked Saudi tankers in the Red Sea and expanded operations against Saudi energy infrastructure. Saudi Arabia and its Yemeni allies responded with airstrikes and ground operations.

The Houthis launched a major offensive last week in Hodeidah and Taiz provinces, seeking to advance towards the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The capture of Mocha has brought the group closer to the strategic waterway.