Trump called off attack on Houthis at the last minute

Trump canceled the strike against the Houthis at the last minute

US President Donald Trump considered the possibility of launching an attack on the Yemeni Houthis last weekend, but abandoned it at the last minute. CBS News reported this, citing sources.

According to sources, on September 17, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called the US President again and asked him for help. Following this, the President ordered the Pentagon to prepare for airstrikes.

However, on the night of September 19, a decision was made not to take any action against the Houthis for now. The White House explained this by a reluctance to expand the geography of the conflict in the Middle East.

In recent weeks, the Houthis have taken control of areas along the Red Sea, including the port cities of Mokha and Dhubab, the settlement of Murad, as well as the strategic Perim Island located in the middle of the Bab al-Mandab Strait. This allows them to control international shipping in the region. Due to the conflict in Iran, Saudi Arabia is using the Bab al-Mandab sea route instead of the Strait of Hormuz for its oil exports.

In response to the US canceling the attacks at the last minute, the Yemeni Houthis assured that they would not target its ships in the Red Sea. This was announced by Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi political bureau.

"We confirmed that we would not target the US or any other country in the strait, with the sole exception of the enemy Saudi Arabia. This remains the case now," he said.

Al-Bukhaiti noted that if any country joins the aggression against Yemen on the side of Saudi Arabia, the Houthis have the capability to wage war on multiple fronts.

"Today, Yemen is capable of waging war not only in an internal conflict, but also in an international confrontation," he said.