Trump Abruptly Cancels Massive Airstrikes Against Houthi Rebels in Yemen
U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly canceled a planned massive airstrike against Houthi rebels in Yemen following intense Saudi pressure and internal administration warnings.
American fighter jets were loaded and a target list was approved for a massive U.S. military strike against the Houthis in Yemen, but President Donald Trump abruptly canceled the operation on Sunday.
The Saudi Pressure and the Last-Minute U-Turn
According to a report by The New York Times, Trump wavered over the past two weeks regarding requests from Saudi Arabia to intervene against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly called Trump on Thursday to urge intervention as the Houthis renewed attacks on Saudi shipping in the Red Sea and advanced near the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
Despite initially telling advisers he opposed new strikes, Trump briefly ordered the Pentagon to prepare for the bombing campaign. However, facing fierce resistance from his inner circle—who warned of overextension amid ongoing tensions with Iran—Trump pulled back on Sunday.
Past Lessons and Mounting Risks
Washington remains deeply skeptical of launching a new open-ended campaign, recalling a massive 50-day aerial operation in the spring of 2025. During that campaign, the U.S. military struck over 1,000 targets, yet expended roughly $1 billion in munitions and lost two F/A-18 Super Hornet jets.
"The anti-Houthi coalition is essentially a Frankenstein's monster of all the fractured pieces left in Yemen," warned Gregory Johnson of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.
Officials warn that a renewed offensive would shatter existing ceasefires, endanger American vessels, and potentially paralyze crucial energy transit routes in the Red Sea while the Strait of Hormuz remains volatile.
