US President Donald Trump gave Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman his backing for military action against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement before Saudi Arabia carried out strikes on Sana’a airport, according to two US officials.
The development comes amid the most serious escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis since 2022 and has raised concerns that a four-year unofficial truce between the two sides could be collapsing.
According to US officials, Saudi Arabia informed Washington last week that it was increasingly concerned about the situation and sought support for possible military action against the Houthis.
As part of those discussions, Saudi Ambassador to the United States Princess Reema bint Bandar met Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday. Rubio later held talks with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
A day later, Trump spoke by phone with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. During the conversation, the Saudi leader requested US backing for action against the Houthis and received it, according to a US official.
When asked about the reports, the White House referred to comments Trump made during a Fox News interview on Monday in which he sharply criticised Iran.
The Saudi embassy in Washington did not immediately comment.
The latest confrontation stems from events that began around 10 days ago when an aircraft belonging to Iran’s Mahan Air landed in the Houthi-controlled capital Sana’a.
The aircraft reportedly transported a delegation of senior Houthi figures who travelled to Iran to attend the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The flight was notable because direct flights between Iran and Sana’a have been effectively blocked for more than a decade. Saudi Arabia has long opposed such flights, arguing they could be used to transfer weapons, military advisers or other support to the Houthis.
“Mahan Air is the IRGC airline. It was designated and sanctioned by the US government,” a US official said.
The Houthis claimed Saudi fighter jets attempted unsuccessfully to prevent the aircraft from landing and warned they would target Saudi airports if similar actions occurred again.
On Monday, as the Iranian aircraft returned from Iran carrying the Houthi delegation, Saudi forces launched strikes on Sana’a airport.
The aircraft was forced to divert and land in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah instead.
A US official alleged that the aircraft was carrying weapons, missile components and military specialists intended for the Houthis.
Following the strike, the Houthis launched ballistic missiles and drones towards Abha airport in south-western Saudi Arabia.
The group also warned international airlines against using Saudi airspace until restrictions on Sana’a airport are lifted.
