Trump weighed strikes against Houthis in Yemen before holding off

President Trump over the weekend considered ordering a strike against the Houthis in Yemen before deciding to hold off for now, two U.S. officials said. Why it matters: Trump was caught between wanting to help his friend and ally, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and avoiding getting entangled on a new front in the Middle East. Catch up quick: Ten days ago, bin Salman (MBS) called Trump twice on the same day, urging him to launch strikes against the Houthis as the Iran-backed group closed in on a vital Red Sea chokepoint. Trump rejected the request and agreed only to help the Saudis with intelligence and targeting data. U.S. officials said at the time they wouldn't take military action as long as the Houthis did not interrupt non-Saudi ship traffic in the Red Sea. Several days later, U.S. diplomats met with Houthi officials and received assurances that the rebel group has no intention of closing the Bab-al-Mandeb Strait. Behind the scenes: But late last week the Saudis, who were having trouble pushing back on Houthi advances, again asked Trump to take military action in Yemen, the two U.S. officials said. They said that over the weekend Trump held consultations with his senior advisers about the possibility of strikes against the Houthis. One U.S. official said the commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), Adm. Brad Cooper, prepared options for airstrikes in Yemen and presented them to Secretary of Defense Hegseth on Saturday. But Trump ultimately decided to hold off, another U.S. official said. The New York Times first reported about Trump's deliberations around the possible strike in Yemen. The White House and the Saudi embassy in Washington declined to comment. What they're saying: "The president changed his mind and did not want to open a Pandora's box by striking because it could cause the Houthis to hold the Bab-al-Mandeb at risk and create a second choke point," Alex Plitsas, a fellow at the Atlantic Council and former Pentagon official, told Axios. That "would cause oil prices to spike further when the Saudis were supposed to take the lead on dealing with the Houthi problem," he added. State of play: The Saudis, together with Yemeni government forces, have been working for two weeks on a counteroffensive against the Houthi rebels, but it has been delayed several times, sources say. In the meantime, the Houthis have been escalating strikes against Saudi Arabia. Over the weekend, they launched a missile toward Riyadh.

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