US quietly aids Saudi Arabia’s Yemen offensive with intel, refueling
Pentagon aims to keep Yemen and Iran wars separate while shielding the flow of Gulf oil exports from attack as Riyadh bears the brunt of the Houthis' missile and drone barrages.
WASHINGTON — US military advisers are quietly helping Saudi commanders analyze intelligence on Houthi positions in Yemen as Riyadh directs progovernment forces in an ongoing offensive against the rebels, three people familiar with the matter told Al-Monitor.
The targeting support is coupled with US Air Force refueling sorties to keep Saudi fighter jets aloft as they thwart potential missile threats originating from Yemen, two of the sources said.
The assistance marks a partial reversal of US disengagement from Saudi Arabia’s involvement in Yemen’s war in recent years. It also treads a fine line as Washington seeks to contain the economic fallout of its war with Iran without triggering further escalation around the region’s strategic waterways.
The Pentagon's headquarters for the Middle East, US Central Command (CENTCOM), ramped up its advising mission for Saudi Arabia as the Houthis last month routed Saudi-backed Yemeni government-aligned forces in a surprise offensive. The offensive saw the rebels capture much of Yemen's southwestern coast overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the mouth of the Red Sea.
