Trump Readies, Then Cancels Houthi Strikes As Saudis Plea for Intervention

President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to prepare airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthis after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pressed him to intervene, then pulled back as U.S. forces neared the start of the operation.

Trump had resisted Saudi appeals for roughly two weeks. A day before speaking with Mohammed bin Salman, he told advisers he did not favor striking the Iran-backed group, according to The New York Times.

That changed after the crown prince called on Thursday and again urged U.S. intervention against the Houthis.

Trump then instructed the Pentagon to prepare for airstrikes.

Strikes Moved Close to Launch

Military preparations advanced quickly.

Commanders approved target lists, personnel began loading bombs onto U.S. aircraft assigned to the mission, and the first wave of attacks was close to being launched, according to two people briefed on the operation.

By midday Sunday, however, Trump had reversed course again. Administration officials said there would be no U.S. strikes for the moment.

The White House declined to discuss the deliberations on the record.

A senior administration official said only that “the U.S. has a defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and we will always defend our allies.”

Much of Trump’s inner circle was skeptical or opposed to joining the Saudi fight, particularly as U.S. forces were already under pressure from the war with Iran.

Saudi Appeal Creates a Dilemma

The Houthis have so far avoided renewed attacks on U.S. vessels, even as they have resumed military action against Saudi Arabia.

Trump highlighted that distinction during a Sunday telephone conversation with Fox News reporter Trey Yingst, saying Washington remained in contact with the group and noting that the Houthis had agreed not to fight the U.S.

That restraint complicates the Saudi request.

Riyadh wants American military support against a force attacking the kingdom, while Washington risks reopening direct hostilities with the Houthis if it intervenes.

Saudi cooperation is also important to U.S. operations against Iran.

In May, Riyadh effectively blocked an American plan to escort commercial oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz by denying U.S. forces access to Saudi airspace and American bases in the kingdom.

Any U.S. strikes could also support a planned offensive by Yemeni government forces backed by Saudi Arabia. Those forces have struggled against the Houthis.

“The anti-Houthi coalition is really a Frankenstein of all the leftover parts in Yemen that aren’t the Houthis,” said Gregory Johnsen, a nonresident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

Previous Campaign Shapes Debate

Washington has already conducted an extended air campaign against the Houthis.

In spring 2025, the U.S. military bombed Houthi positions for more than 50 days in an effort to protect Red Sea navigation and stop attacks on commercial and U.S. naval shipping.

U.S. Central Command struck more than 1,000 targets, including radar systems, air defenses, missile sites and drone infrastructure.

The Houthis nevertheless continued fighting, shot down several American drones and kept targeting naval vessels.

The campaign consumed about $1 billion in weapons and munitions during its first month. Two F/A-18 Super Hornets, valued at $67mn each, were also lost after accidentally falling from a U.S. aircraft carrier.

Trump ended the campaign less than two months after it began, saying the Houthis “gave us their word that they wouldn’t be shooting at ships anymore, and we honor that.”

The group subsequently stopped attacking U.S. vessels.

Current and former officials expressed doubts that another limited bombing campaign would force the Houthis to negotiate. One official warned that renewed U.S. strikes would probably end the group’s restraint toward American forces.

The Houthis have also rebuilt much of their military capability and are using artificial intelligence in developing new missile types.