Trump Considered Striking Iran-Backed Houthi Forces in Yemen, CBS Reports

The United States President Donald Trump last weekend was considering the possibility of striking Yemen's Houthis, whom Iran supports. However, at this time a decision has not yet been made.

On Wednesday 16 in September, during discussions with his national security advisers, Trump indicated that he favored backing away from air strikes. But after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia phoned the U.S. president again on Thursday asking for help (10 days ago he also asked to strike the Houthis), Trump told the Pentagon that there was a need to prepare for air strikes. However, as sources said, late Saturday night a decision was made to postpone U.S. actions against the Houthis for the time being, because at the moment the White House does not want to widen the theater of conflict. By Monday Reuters reported that Trump spoke on the phone with Rashad al-Alimi – head of the Presidential Leadership Council of Yemen, the executive organ of the internationally recognized government of Yemen.

What preceded it To recall, in recent weeks, against a backdrop of intensifying conflict, the Houthi forces have reclaimed key strategic territories from the Yemeni government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, especially along the coast of the Red Sea. In particular, 11 September the Houthis seized Perim Island, which lies in the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, crucial for global oil trade. The aim is to block the strait. It was also reported that a few days earlier Yemeni Houthis attacked Riyadh Airport and Saudi Arabia's oil hub with drones and missiles.