Two U.S. officials disclosed that Trump weighed ordering a strike on Yemen's Houthi rebels over the past weekend but ultimately decided to hold off. The former president found himself caught between supporting his ally, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and avoiding a fresh military entanglement in the Middle East.

Ten days prior, MBS placed two calls to Trump in a single day, urging U.S. intervention against the Houthis, an Iranian-backed force that was pressing toward a critical Red Sea chokepoint. Trump declined the request, offering only intelligence and targeting support to Saudi Arabia. At the time, U.S. officials indicated that Washington would refrain from military action as long as the Houthis did not disrupt non-Saudi shipping in the Red Sea.

Days later, American diplomats met with Houthi representatives, who pledged not to block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. However, by late last week, with Saudi forces struggling to repel Houthi advances, Riyadh again appealed to Trump for military intervention in Yemen.

According to the officials, Trump consulted senior advisors over the weekend about the feasibility of striking the Houthis. One U.S. official said that Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), drafted an airstrike plan for Yemen, which was presented to Defense Secretary Hegseth on Saturday. Another official confirmed that Trump ultimately chose to postpone any action.

Both the White House and the Saudi embassy in Washington declined to comment. Alex Pletchas, a former Pentagon official now with the Atlantic Council, told Axios: "Trump had a change of heart, deciding not to open a Pandora's box through a strike. Such a move could endanger the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and create a second maritime chokepoint." He added, "This was a problem for the Saudis to handle themselves, and U.S. action would only push oil prices higher."

Sources say Saudi Arabia, in coordination with Yemeni government forces, has been preparing a counteroffensive against the Houthi rebels for two weeks, though the plan has been delayed several times. Meanwhile, the Houthis have escalated attacks on Saudi targets, launching a missile toward Riyadh over the weekend.