Washington, DC [US], July 14 (ANI): US President Donald Trump supported Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s request for assistance before Riyadh launched military operations against Iran-backed Houthi targets in Yemen, according to an Axios report citing two US officials.
The report said the Saudi crown prince informed Trump before the operation and sought Washington’s endorsement. The move followed growing concerns in Riyadh over Houthi operations and a disputed Iranian flight to Yemen.
The latest confrontation threatens to undermine a fragile truce that has largely held since 2022, despite officially expiring.
The current tensions were triggered after an aircraft reportedly operated by Iran’s Mahan Air landed in Houthi-controlled Sanaa. The flight carried a Houthi delegation traveling to Iran for the funeral of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Saudi Arabia opposed the flight, reportedly over concerns that it could be used to transport weapons, missile components, or Iranian military personnel to the Houthis. The US officials quoted by Axios described Mahan Air as an airline linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
When the aircraft later attempted to return, Saudi forces targeted Sanaa airport, forcing the plane to divert and land in Al Hudaydah on Yemen’s Red Sea coast. The Saudi-backed Yemeni government said the strike was intended to prevent an Iranian aircraft from using Yemeni territory.
Following the attack on Sanaa airport, Yemen’s Houthis launched missile and drone strikes targeting Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport in the kingdom’s southwest. The group said the operation was carried out in retaliation for what it described as Saudi aggression.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree also warned airlines against flying through Saudi airspace, saying the restriction would remain in effect until limitations on Sanaa airport were lifted.
The escalation comes amid broader regional tensions, with the United States and Iran locked in a renewed confrontation.
Saudi Arabia formed a military coalition in Yemen in 2015 to support the internationally recognized government against the Houthis. The ensuing conflict has claimed thousands of lives and plunged Yemen into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The Houthis currently control the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen, including several major population centers, while the government maintains authority over large areas in the south. (ANI)
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