Trump Rejects Saudi Request for Direct US Strikes on Houthis, Offers Intelligence Support Only as Crown Prince Warns of Mokha Battlefield Collapse

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called US President Donald Trump twice on Thursday September 11 and requested that the United States launch direct military strikes against Houthi forces in Yemen, but Trump rejected the request, according to Axios citing two US officials. During the first call, the crown prince explained the battlefield situation, stating that Houthis were advancing toward the strategic coastal city of Mokha and that Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces were retreating. A few hours later he called Trump again to request US military action against the Houthis. Trump declined and instead decided to provide Saudi Arabia with intelligence and data regarding strike targets. US officials said the Trump administration does not intend to take direct military action against the Houthis at this time. The United States maintains a stance of concentrating its military forces on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz while refusing to open a new front with the Houthis. However, the administration is reportedly concerned about the recent intensification of the Houthi offensive. US Central Command Commander Admiral Brad Cooper traveled to Saudi Arabia on Thursday for emergency coordination meetings with Saudi officials. The Houthis captured Mokha on Thursday September 11 and Perim Island on Friday September 12, completing their control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Yemeni government forces launched counterattacks over the weekend, with Saudi Arabia carrying out 129 air strikes on Houthi positions near Mokha and in areas where Houthis are attempting to advance toward the government stronghold of Marib, according to Al Jazeera's correspondent in Sanaa. The United Nations said more than 82,000 people in Yemen have been displaced by the fighting since the beginning of September, with more than 2,000 Yemenis reaching Djibouti across the water in the past 24 hours.