Saudi Arabia is considering launching a large-scale military operation against the Houthis in Yemen, even without direct American participation, in a shift that may make Riyadh itself lead the confrontation within the current wave of escalation.
American officials revealed to ABC News that Saudi Arabia informed Washington, in recent days, of its readiness to act unilaterally if necessary, but a final decision has not yet been taken.
This trend indicates a noticeable change in the Saudi approach, after Riyadh was requesting direct American support. On Thursday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made two calls with US President Donald Trump, during which he demanded American military intervention, without making it a necessary condition for Saudi action.
According to American officials, the Trump administration is willing to provide Saudi Arabia with extensive intelligence support and help it identify targets, but it does not plan, at the current stage, to participate directly in striking the Houthis. The officials indicated that the American position may change if the threat escalates significantly against shipping lines in the Red Sea.
A senior Trump administration official said that the United States is focused on protecting “core national security interests,” foremost among which is freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, but it wants its allies in the region to take on the direct confrontation with the threat.
He added that Washington is conducting an ongoing dialogue with Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government regarding regional stability.
In parallel, the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his willingness to participate in a wide campaign against the Houthis in Yemen, as part of regional efforts to confront the danger threatening navigation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab.
According to what the newspaper reported from American diplomatic sources, Netanyahu is not content with public positions, but rather Israel is ready to help the countries of the Arabian Peninsula if a broader confrontation breaks out.
Talk about a possible Saudi move comes in light of the rapid advance of the Houthis in western Yemen. According to estimates reported by ABC News, during the morning hours it appeared that the group took control of large parts of the western coast, but the Yemeni government forces and the militias associated with them continue to fight, which means that the situation on the ground is still subject to rapid change.
Officials believe that the Houthis and Iran realize that an attempt to close the Bab al-Mandab Strait or significantly disrupt navigation traffic in it may attract a harsher response from Saudi Arabia and the United States, and perhaps from other countries.
In recent days, the Houthis have issued statements confirming that the strait is still open to commercial traffic. However, the attacks they carried out against ships linked to Saudi Arabia raised the level of risks facing other ships in the region.
If Riyadh decides to act independently, this will be the first time during the current wave of escalation that it clearly announces its willingness to lead military action itself, even without direct American participation.
