WASHINGTON, DC — US President Donald Trump has rejected a request from Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to conduct military strikes against Houthi fighters in Yemen, following an escalation in fighting near the coastal city of Mokha.
Golden Info reports that news outlet Axios confirmed the decision on Thursday, September 10, 2026, citing two unidentified US officials who revealed that the Saudi crown prince called Trump twice in a single day as military conditions deteriorated in Yemen.
The Iran-backed Houthis, who maintain control over large areas of northern Yemen, launched a major offensive last week against Saudi-backed government forces, resulting in hundreds of casualties. In response, Saudi Arabia executed multiple military airstrikes, including targeting an airport in Houthi-controlled territory on Friday, September 11, 2026.
Despite declining direct kinetic intervention, the United States will provide Saudi Arabia with military intelligence and target location data. A US official stated that more than 200 US military personnel are currently stationed in Saudi Arabia offering non-kinetic operational support.
The military development coincides with Houthi forces seizing a strategic Red Sea island located within the Bab al-Mandab strait on Friday, September 11, 2026. The capture effectively secures Houthi control over a primary shipping channel essential for Saudi petroleum exports.
The conflict in Yemen forms part of a broader Middle Eastern crisis involving US and Israeli strikes on Iran, which prompted Tehran to initiate a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Following the maritime disruptions, major energy benchmarks including Brent North Sea Crude and US WTI contracts traded above $100 per barrel on Friday, September 11, 2026.
US Central Command Commander Brad Cooper traveled to Saudi Arabia on Thursday, September 10, 2026, to engage in emergency military coordination meetings with Saudi official.