Saudi Arabia has called on the United States to consider direct military action against Iran-backed Houthi rebels after the group strengthened its hold around Yemen’s Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital route connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
The development has heightened security concerns in Riyadh and Washington, particularly as the conflict involving Iran continues to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil transit routes.
A source familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke with US President Donald Trump several times over the past 24 hours and urged him to respond militarily to the Houthi advance.
The Houthis reportedly reached Mayyun Island, also known as Perim, after Yemeni government forces withdrew from the strategic location. Four Yemeni government sources also told Reuters that the group captured the coastal town of Dhubab.
The developments have given the Houthis a stronger position around Bab al-Mandab, a narrow maritime passage through which significant commercial traffic travels between the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Despite Saudi Arabia’s appeal, Washington is not currently planning to launch direct military action against the Houthis, according to the source. Trump instead told the Saudi crown prince that the US would provide intelligence and targeting assistance to help the kingdom respond to the worsening situation.
US Central Command commander Adm. Brad Cooper also travelled to Saudi Arabia for discussions on the escalating crisis, the source said.
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the conversations between Trump and bin Salman or whether further US military action was being considered.
A Saudi official, speaking on background, said Riyadh remained committed to supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
“The Kingdom will continue to support the internationally recognized government in Yemen in its effort to promote peace, unity and stability across the country and is working closely with its partners, including the United States, to ensure freedom of navigation in the Arabian Gulf and Red Sea.”
“The Kingdom will also take every necessary measure to ensure that its own citizens and residents are safe and its borders are secure,” the official added.
The Houthi advance has raised concerns about the possibility of simultaneous pressure on two major maritime corridors. While Iran has disrupted shipping around the Strait of Hormuz, its Houthi allies are consolidating their position near Bab al-Mandab.
Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Iran programme at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the latest developments could represent an attempt by Tehran to regain maritime leverage.
“Trump’s success in pushing back on Iran’s maritime threat in the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf has made the regime lose the maritime leverage it had, and now it is looking to double down on the Houthis who have proven to be able to impact Red Sea shipping and the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the past,” Ben Taleblu said.
He added, “As Tehran loses leverage in the Strait of Hormuz, it is trying to wield a knife and a handshake at once: diplomacy with Arab states and a knife in the back via the Houthi offensive.”
The latest territorial gains came a day after the Houthis reportedly seized Mocha, a strategic Red Sea port that had been controlled by forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
Former US special envoy for Yemen Timothy Lenderking said the Houthi advance was partly a result of the group’s ability to rebuild its military capabilities during the period of relative calm that followed the 2022 United Nations-brokered truce.
Speaking during a Middle East Institute virtual briefing on Friday, Lenderking said the April 2022 truce largely paused Yemen’s civil war but also “did allow the Houthis to regroup, retrain, refit, restock.”
He described the group as highly adaptive, saying, “They’re extremely entrepreneurial. They use every opportunity to build their capability, to test their capabilities, such that they are now the most lethal non-state actor in the entire Middle East.”
Lenderking also linked the latest escalation to Iranian support for the Houthis, pointing to Mahan Air flights into Sanaa earlier in the summer.
According to him, the flights transported personnel and equipment intended to strengthen the Houthi war effort, with the personnel “probably IRGC members.”
