The Pentagon was reportedly being readied to strike Houthi targets in Yemen when United States President Donald Trump abruptly called off the operation, reversing a decision made after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pressed him for urgent military support.
The reversal came after preparations for the strikes had reportedly moved well beyond the planning stage, with target lists approved and bombs being loaded onto the US aircraft selected for the mission, according to The New York Times (NYT) report. The issue came to a head after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler and a key US ally, spoke to Trump by phone and pressed him for immediate assistance against the advancing Houthis, according to The New York Times. The US military had already moved deep into preparations for the planned operation, according to the report.
Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst, who maintains frequent contact with Trump, reported that the president said Washington remained ‘in constant communication with the Houthis and that they’ve agreed not to fight the United States’, according to news agency ANI.
Speaking to Fox News, he said the group had agreed not to target the United States despite its escalating campaign against Saudi Arabia. ‘The Houthis called us and they don’t want to fight with us,’ Trump said. The White House has not issued a formal statement explaining the policy shift. ‘They don’t want us to go after them’.
