A US official said Washington was assisting Saudi Arabia with targeting Houthi positions in Yemen and providing planning support for a ground offensive by Saudi-backed forces against Ansar Allah.

The Associated Press reported speaking with a US official on Monday who explained the US was providing Saudi Arabia with support including intelligence sharing, target identification and planning for the offensive. 

Saudi-backed forces have recently launched an offensive in an effort to retake territory captured by Ansar Allah last month. On Monday, an official with the Saudi-backed government of Yemen claimed that its forces had recaptured the Bab al-Mandeb Strait from Ansar Allah. However, a second official with the Saudi-backed government noted fighting in the area was ongoing.

Saudi Arabia is backing the ground offensive with extensive airstrikes. Ansar Allah denied losing the territory and threatened to shoot down Saudi aircraft over Yemen. Even if Saudi-backed forces have taken the territory near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Ansar Allah could still use longer-range weapons to enforce its blockade of Saudi shipping through the waterway.

Ansar Allah is also continuing its offensive further inland. On Monday, the Houthis claimed to have captured an important district in Yemen’s third-largest city, Taiz. Additionally, Ansar Allah continues to attack military and energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. 

While Riyadh has made several requests for direct US intervention in Yemen, President Donald Trump has refused to break the ceasefire he reached with Ansar Allah last year.Trump’s top advisers met at Camp David on Friday for a meeting chaired by Vice President JD Vance to discuss the US approach to Yemen.

Axios broke the story and did not provide details on what was decided during the meeting. 

Trump ordered strikes on Ansar Allah in March of 2025 in response to a blockade of Israeli shipping. The US conducted a major, weeks-long bombing campaign in Yemen. After Ansar Allah nearly hit a US aircraft carrier, the two sides agreed to a ceasefire that notably did not include lifting the blockade against Israel. 

The blockade of Israeli shipping was later lifted when Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in October 2025. Ansar Allah would impose a blockade against Saudi shipping once fighting reignited in July. 

Following the outbreak of fighting in Yemen, Ansar Allah has met with US officials and expressed that the group is committed to the ceasefire with the US. Additionally, US officials say that Ansar Allah said it would only enforce a blockade against Saudi Arabia, but not completely close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. However, US officials are concerned that the group will close the narrow chokepoint if American planes begin bombing Yemen.