Trump calls off planned airstrikes on Houthis after Saudi plea

President Donald Trump abruptly called off planned United States airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on September 20, 2026, halting the operation as bombs were being loaded onto aircraft. The decision followed intense personal appeals for intervention from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. While the Houthis rapidly advance along Yemen's Red Sea coast and push into the strategic Kahboub Mountains, the United States remains hesitant to expand its regional military commitments. Meanwhile, the escalation has displaced over 125,000 Yemeni civilians and left nearly 700 dead.

Trump cancels Houthi airstrikes

• ▪President Donald Trump instructed the Pentagon to prepare airstrikes against Houthi targets on September 17, 2026, reversing his previous statement to advisers on September 16, 2026, that he opposed strikes
• ▪Planned United States airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, ordered by President Trump, were halted at a late stage on September 20, 2026, when military commanders had approved target lists and troops were loading bombs onto aircraft
• ▪President Donald Trump stated in a phone interview with Fox News that the United States is in constant communication with the Houthis and that the group has agreed not to attack American forces
• ▪United States President Donald Trump called off planned military airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen at the last minute on September 20, 2026
• ▪Most members of President Donald Trump's inner circle were skeptical of or directly opposed to joining Saudi Arabia's military campaign against the Houthis in Yemen sought by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, due to concerns over straining United States forces

Houthi territorial advance Yemen

• ▪Houthi fighters advanced to seize strategic heights in Yemen's Taiz and Lahij provinces, including the Kahboub Mountains, to cut off the Red Sea coast from Saudi-backed government forces
• ▪The Houthis claimed they launched missile and drone attacks targeting the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh on September 19, 2026, with explosions and smoke reported near the airport
• ▪Saudi Arabia launched hundreds of airstrikes on Houthi positions in the Kahboub Mountains in September 2026, but the strikes had little impact on the Houthi advance
• ▪The Houthis seized control of Yemen's Red Sea coastline in September 2026, routing the forces of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government

Saudi requests US intervention

• ▪Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally urged United States President Donald Trump during a phone call on September 17, 2026, to intervene militarily against the Houthis
• ▪The United States has repeatedly rebuffed Saudi Arabian pleas to join the conflict between Saudi-backed forces and the Houthis in Yemen, seeking to avoid expanding the regional war Trump launched in February 2026 against Iran
• ▪Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi requested United States military assistance from President Donald Trump during a phone call on September 20, 2026, but received no direct pledge of support

British French military support

• ▪British Prime Minister Andy Burnham agreed to Saudi Arabia's request to provide defensive air-to-air refueling for a limited time to help stabilize the region
• ▪A French diplomatic source cited by The Guardian stated that France is prepared to help secure Saudi Arabia's energy infrastructure in Yanbu and the East-West pipeline corridor

Yemeni civilian displacement crisis

• ▪The city of Taiz received the largest share of displaced persons in September 2026, taking in up to 86,000 Yemenis fleeing the conflict in Yemen
• ▪Hostilities in Yemen have displaced at least 125,000 people since the start of September 2026, according to United Nations figures
• ▪Nearly 700 people have been killed and thousands injured in the recent fighting in Yemen in September 2026, according to statistics compiled by the United Nations

Debatable claims

• ▪The United States should launch airstrikes against Houthi forces in Yemen
• ▪The United States should maintain its defense umbrella for Saudi Arabia