Houthi rebels, considered allies of Iran, launched a surprise offensive in Yemen on September 10-11, capturing the port city of Mokha and the strategically important island of Perim in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. An unnamed government source in the Middle East commented profanely on the situation to CNN, calling it a “damn failure” of US-Saudi coordination – Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called President Donald Trump twice on Thursday and asked him in vain for air strikes, Axios adds.
The current civil war in Yemen has continued with varying intensity for more than 10 years. The government, which receives the support of Saudi Arabia, is fighting the Houthi movement Ansar Allah, founded by Shiite religious leader Hussein al-Houthi in the 1990s in the north of the country. Iran considers the Houthis part of the “Axis of Resistance” in the Middle East, which also includes Lebanese Hezbollah.
As a result of past offensives, up to 30% of Yemen's territory, including the capital Sanaa, was under the control of the Houthis, and the government was forced to relocate to the south. The new rebel offensive was launched in the southwest, despite a truce between the parties in force since 2022.
An anonymous source within the Yemeni government's military told CNN that it has been in contact with US Central Command (CENTCOM) and has received assurances from the Pentagon that it is “closely monitoring the situation.” Washington also announced air support from Saudi Arabia, but nothing came of it. On Thursday, the Red Sea port of Mokha came under rebel control.
That same day, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called President Donald Trump twice and urged him to carry out US air strikes against the Houthis, according to Axios US government sources.
“Trump refused, and American officials emphasize that the administration has no plans to directly intervene in the situation with the Houthis,” the publication reports.
Axios sources added that Washington promised to provide Saudi Arabia with data for targeting, but Riyadh also did not carry out its strikes. A CNN Middle East source called the situation a “failure of epic proportions,” using an obscene English word.
“Not a single blow was struck yesterday, despite the fact that the situation was updated every minute. This is a damn Saudi-American failure of epic proportions,” said a government source.
Trump personally confirmed the absence of plans to fight with the Houthis on Saturday, September 12, during a visit to Ireland. He said his administration was in contact with Yemeni rebels, but did not specify through what channels.
“The Houthis called us and they don’t want to fight with us. They would prefer that we not interfere, and they themselves let most of the ships through,” Trump emphasized.
He also confirmed that he had spoken with Prince bin Salman, but did not elaborate.
“He’s a good friend of mine and I can tell you everything’s going to be just fine. “Everything will be fine,” the US President said.
Analysts in the United States fear that the situation, despite Trump’s calm, threatens to block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which is important for oil trade, after the Strait of Hormuz. The latter was blocked as a result of hostilities between the United States and Iran. Axios notes that this conflict has been cited by the Trump administration as a reason for its reluctance to “open a second front” in the Middle East.
Oil trade was also hit again by drone strikes on the Saudi East-West pipeline on Saturday. The Saudi Arabian authorities decided to temporarily completely shut down the oil pipeline as a precaution.
Trump, in the same comments in Ireland, blamed Iran for the incident, although Saudi Arabia noted that the drones flew into the country from Iraq. The Iraqi authorities, led by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, confirmed the information and announced an investigation into the incident. Previously, the country agreed with the United States on the process of incorporating into the armed forces Shiite armed militias, which were previously considered allies of Iran, like the Houthis.
