File photo: US President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo)
Pentagon commanders had created approved target lists, troops were loading bombs onto warplanes selected for the missions and US military was prepared for fresh attacks on the Iranian proxy group. the wave of attacks was just about to begin, according to two people briefed on the attack. US President Donald Trump had moved to launch airstrikes against Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) pressed him to intervene.
But Trump abruptly halted the operation before the strikes could begin.
The White House declined to discuss Trump’s deliberations, while a senior administration official said only that the US had a defence agreement with Saudi Arabia and would defend its allies. The Houthis have since rebuilt much of their military capability and are now using artificial intelligence to develop and engineer new missile systems, according to US officials. Trump said Sunday that he remained in “deciding mode” over the larger Iran war.
But by Sunday, however, Trump had reversed his decision yet again. The strikes were put on hold, at least for now, even as preparations for the attack had advanced significantly. A renewed US campaign could also prompt the group to resume attacks on American ships and further disrupt shipping through the Bab al-Mandab, adding another pressure point to already unstable energy routes. For now, however, the president has stepped back from striking the Houthis, despite having taken the US military to the brink of doing so.