Trump declines Saudi crown prince's call for US strikes on Houthis - report

Trump rejected the request, and US officials said the administration does not intend to take direct military action against the Houthis at this time, the report said.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called US President Trump twice on Thursday and urged him to launch strikes against the Houthis, Axios reported, citing two US officials.

Trump rejected the request, and US officials said the administration does not intend to take direct military action against the Houthis at this time, the report said.

The US is supporting Saudi Arabia in the escalating fight in Yemen, but is stopping short of direct military involvement. Commander of US Central Command Adm. Brad Cooper traveled to Saudi Arabia on Thursday for coordination meetings, Axios cited two sources with knowledge of the matter as saying.

The Trump administration will also be providing Saudi Arabia with US intelligence on the Houthis, as well as targeting data, and roughly 200 US military personnel are already in the country providing non-kinetic support, according to Axios. 

US invested in keeping Red Sea open, leaving fight to regional partners

A senior Trump administration official told Axios that the US is invested in keeping the Red Sea open while leaving the broader fight to partners in the Middle East.

"The United States is focused on protecting our core national security interests – such as ensuring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea – while empowering our regional partners to take the lead in managing and resolving regional security challenges," the official said.

This comes a day after the Houthis struck the city of Mocha on the Red Sea, potentially leading to bringing the Iranian-backed Houthis closer to closing the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the same way that Iran has attempted to close the Strait of Hormuz.