Trump Refuses Pledge To Back Yemen’s Presidential Council Against Houthis After Bab Al-Mandeb Seizures

Trump pauses strike plans

U.S. President Donald Trump refused to pledge military support for the Yemeni government during a phone call with Yemen's Presidential Council chief Rashad Al-Alimi, even as the G7 urged the Houthis to halt attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Axios reported that American officials said Trump studied the possibility of ordering an strike against the Houthis before deciding to hold off, after military leaders were divided on whether the United States should intervene in the Saudi-Houthi conflict.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Admiral Brad Cooper prepared options for air strikes on targets in Yemen and presented them to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth last Saturday, before Trump decided to pause, according to Axios.

Pete Hegseth told Fox News that the United States will not repeat what it did in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he said the action against the Houthis in Yemen is aimed at protecting navigation.

The Houthis had earlier this month seized strategic areas along the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and Trump publicly said the United States is in contact with the Houthis and that the group has declared it would not target American ships.

Reporting for this sectionAl-Jazeera NetAla-ʿArabī

Britain and France back Riyadh

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham agreed to provide military support to Saudi Arabia, and Burnham said British aircraft would provide defensive support by refueling Saudi jets from the air. The British News Agency reported that the mission would involve only one Royal Air Force Voyager aircraft refueling Saudi planes during defensive operations and would not include participation in strikes against the Houthis. France expressed readiness to contribute to securing Saudi energy facilities targeted by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, within a strictly defensive framework, a diplomatic source told AFP.

The foreign ministers of the G7 countries condemned what they described as the ongoing, unacceptable attacks by Yemeni Houthis against Saudi Arabia, urging them to stop immediately. In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States said, “We urge the Houthis to immediately halt all military actions, threats, and attacks against civilian navigation, and return to the political process in good faith.”

Reporting for this sectionAl-Jazeera Net

Bab al-Mandab stakes rise

Rashad al-Alimi asked Trump for American support for the government forces against the Houthis after the Houthis advanced near the Bab al-Mandab strait, while two sources said Trump did not make a direct pledge of military support during the call. Reuters reported that Trump and Al-Alimi discussed the progress the Houthis have made near the Bab al-Mandeb strait, and the Houthis’ gains increased pressure on government forces backed by Saudi Arabia. The Houthis gained control earlier this month of strategic areas on Yemen’s western coast, including islands overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the episode raised concerns about navigation security in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb.

The Arab Weekly said the Houthis pushed to seize strategic heights known as the Kahboub Mountains in Taiz and Lahij, which separate the Red Sea coast from the government-held south. The United Nations said nearly 700 people have been killed and thousands injured in the flare-up in fighting, and nearly 130,000 Yemenis have fled homes within Yemen, with more than 3,000 fleeing by boat across the Red Sea to Africa.

Reporting for this sectionShabakat Masdar al-akhbariyaThe Arab Weekly