Trump reverses decision after Saudi Crown Prince urges airstrikes

Donald Trump turned down a direct request from Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to bomb Houthi rebels, sources say.

The New York Times reports the President had wavered for weeks as the kingdom asked for aid after Houthis ramped up their summer assault.

Thursday brought a personal push from King Mohammed bin Salman. He urged Washington to strike against an enemy advancing fast on Saudi soil.

Administration officials noted this plea came right after Trump met with his own team and told them he did not want to launch strikes.

Yet, following that phone call or meeting with the Crown Prince, reports claim he ordered military planners to get airstrikes ready immediately.

By Sunday midday, the mood shifted again. Officials stated there would be no American bombs dropped on Houthi targets.

Target lists were already greenlit and warplanes had loaded munitions when Trump reversed course once more.

One senior figure said most of his inner circle strongly opposed joining Saudi Arabia in this specific fight against the militant group.

Meanwhile, Fox News carried a statement from the President Sunday claiming Houthis agreed to stop attacking the US.

Reporter Trey Yingst quoted Trump saying Washington stays in constant contact with them and they have promised not to fight America.

Trump has argued before that these Iran-allied fighters are holding back from striking US forces in the region.

He repeated this point during a trip to Ireland on September 12, telling reporters the Houthis called us and do not want war.

They don't want us to go after them." Those were the latest words from Yingst on Fox News as Saudi Arabia faces mounting pressure. A missile targeted the capital Riyadh this Saturday. The Houthis staged a rapid offensive inside Yemen too, seizing swaths of territory from the internationally recognized government backed by Riyadh.

Trump is reportedly in "deciding mode" regarding Iran. US and Israeli forces launched a massive aerial bombing campaign on February 28 before settling into an almost seven-month standoff. Yingst told reporters that Trump said "big things will be happening in the not so distant future." He added that "Iranians better behave, and he is making this decision as to whether or not to blow up their nation."

The Houthis claimed Sunday that Saudi Arabia launched 28 strikes across several areas of Yemen in the past 24 hours. The pro-Iran group clashes with the Riyadh-backed government in this revived civil war. "The Saudi air force carried out 28 strikes targeting the governorates of Taiz, Al-Jawf, and Marib," said Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree in a statement. "They used F-15 and Typhoon aircraft that took off from the Khamis Mushait and Taif airbases."

This month the Houthis launched a lightning offensive to take over Yemen's entire Red Sea coast. They now control the vital Bab al-Mandab strait. The group insists navigation remains open and free except for Saudi vessels. The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said Saturday that the Iran-backed group fired a ballistic missile at Riyadh at dawn after a fire broke out near the international airport.

The war began in 2014 with the Houthi capture of Sanaa. It had been largely frozen since 2022 but erupted back into life in July. Saudi Arabia has led a coalition backing the internationally recognized government since 2015. Its intervention escalated the conflict, triggering one of the world's worst humanitarian crises in that impoverished country.

In 2025 the UN warned that 17 million people in Yemen were struggling to eat and a further million faced extreme hunger. Officials have said if the US joins the Saudi fight it could be with a new planned ground offensive by Yemeni government troops. Those who served in the Middle East express scepticism that limited US bombing would compel the Houthis to negotiate. They point out how the militant group withstood eight weeks of US bombs last year.

In spring 2025 the US bombed the militant group for over 50 days to restore freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and stop attacks on commercial and naval shipping vessels. CENTCOM struck over 1,000 targets yet the Houthis continued fighting back, shooting down several American drones and firing at naval ships in the Red Sea. Two months in Trump announced a ceasefire claiming the Houthis promised "they wouldn't be shooting at ships anymore, and we honor that".