US President Donald Trump gave Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman his backing for military action against Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement, according to a report citing American officials.
Axios reported that Trump spoke by phone with the Saudi crown prince on Friday, during which Mohammed bin Salman requested US support for a possible military operation against the Houthis. Trump reportedly approved the request.
The Saudi strike on Sanaa International Airport on Monday, followed by Houthi missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia, marked the most serious cross-border escalation between the two sides since 2022, US officials said.
The renewed confrontation threatens to heighten tensions across the region and could further expand the conflict between the United States and Iran.
According to the report, Saudi Arabia informed Washington last week that it was increasingly concerned about developments in Yemen and sought American backing in the event that it launched strikes against the Houthis.
The Saudi ambassador to Washington met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday. Rubio then held a telephone conversation with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan the following day.
A US official told Axios that Trump later spoke directly with Mohammed bin Salman, who asked for support for military action against the Houthis and received the president’s approval.
Iranian flight triggers escalation
The latest confrontation reportedly began around 10 days ago, when an aircraft operated by Iran’s Mahan Air landed in the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital, Sanaa.
The plane was reportedly sent to transport a delegation of senior Houthi officials to Iran to attend the funeral of former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
Direct flights between Iran and Sanaa had not operated for more than a decade, largely because Saudi Arabia had prevented them.
“Mahan Air is the airline of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and has been designated and sanctioned by the US government,” an American official was quoted as saying.
The Houthis said Saudi fighter jets attempted unsuccessfully to prevent the Iranian aircraft from landing. The group subsequently threatened to target Saudi airports should similar actions be repeated.
According to the Houthis, the aircraft was returning from Iran on Monday with the delegation on board when the Saudi strike hit Sanaa airport, forcing the plane to divert and land in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.
A US official alleged that the aircraft was also carrying weapons, missile components and military specialists intended to support the Houthis. The claim could not be independently verified.
Houthis target Abha airport
The Houthi movement, officially known as Ansar Allah, later announced that it had launched ballistic missiles and drones at Abha International Airport in southern Saudi Arabia.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the attack had successfully achieved its objectives and described it as retaliation for the Saudi strike on Sanaa International Airport.
He held Saudi Arabia responsible for the attack and any resulting consequences.
The group also called on airlines to avoid Saudi airspace until what it described as the blockade of Sanaa airport was lifted.
The escalation comes amid a broader confrontation between Iran and the United States following a series of attacks and counterattacks over the past week.
The US military said it had struck dozens of targets inside Iran using precision-guided weapons, including air-defence systems, coastal radar sites and facilities connected to Iran’s missile and drone programmes.
Iran, in response, launched waves of missiles and drones towards US military bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Oman and Qatar.
