US balances Houthi diplomacy with support for Saudi offensive
Renewed fighting in Yemen is forcing the United States to balance support for Saudi Arabia with efforts to preserve its truce with the Houthis.
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WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is keeping a diplomatic channel open with Yemen’s Houthis as it helps Saudi Arabia counter their battlefield gains, putting to the test a fragile ceasefire between the United States and the Iran-backed group.
The balancing act is unfolding amid renewed fighting in war-torn Yemen, where the United Nations says nearly 200,000 people have been displaced since the Houthis wrested control of the country’s Red Sea coast during a lightning offensive in early September. A Saudi-backed Yemeni government counteroffensive launched over the weekend seeks to retake Houthi-held territory, including near the strategic Bab el Mandeb Strait.
On Wednesday, Saudi authorities said Houthi attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha Airport near the Yemeni border killed three people and injured dozens more. The Saudi-led military coalition said it responded by striking Houthi missile storage sites and command centers in Yemen. On Thursday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had launched another attack on the King Khalid airport in Riyadh.
