Saudi Arabia bombed dozens of targets in Yemen in hopes of turning back the offensive by Ansar Allah. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) requested that President Donald Trump order American strikes on Yemen, but Washington rebuked the request.
On Sunday, Ansar Allah said that Saudi Arabia had targeted over 50 of their positions with airstrikes. Yahya Saree, the group’s military spokesman, wrote on Telegram, “The criminal Saudi enemy has carried out 58 airstrikes in the past 24 hours.”
The strikes followed MBS’s request that the US take direct action against Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis. Trump told MBS that the US would not participate in the strikes but would provide intelligence.
The conflict has significantly escalated over the past week. Yemen’s ruling Ansar Allah movement has captured significant territory from Saudi-backed forces, including the strategic port city of Mokha and islands near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The group has also attacked military bases and energy sites inside Saudi Arabia.
The strikes have not ended Ansar Allah’s offensive. On Monday, the group confirmed its control over two more islands in the southern Red Sea.
Additionally, Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline was damaged by drones that Riyadh said were launched from Iraq. Repairs are estimated to take between three and five weeks.
Last year, Trump went to war against Ansar Allah in an effort to break the group’s blockade of Israeli-linked shipping through the Bab-al-Mandab Strait. Ansar Allah responded by expanding the blockade to include American shipping.
The conflict ended after Washington and Sanaa agreed to a ceasefire and for Ansar Allah to lift the blockade on American shipping.
In 2014, Ansar Allah seized the capital city and took control over most populated regions in Yemen. Initially, the US worked with Ansar Allah to target Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. However, Saudi Arabia viewed Ansar Allah’s control of Yemen as problematic. Riyadh formed a government-in-exile, which it attempted to install in power with a mass bombing campaign, a blockade, and by backing militias opposed to Ansar Allah.
The Barack Obama administration elected to support Saudi’s war to alleviate Riyadh’s concerns over the Iran Nuclear Deal. The war killed hundreds of thousands of people, caused a cholera epidemic, and the blockade resulted in widespread malnutrition among children.
During the war, Ansar Allah developed missile and drone capabilities that were able to cause significant damage to Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure. While Riyadh and Sanaa agreed to a ceasefire in 2022, they have not reached an agreement to end the war.
