US Meets Houthis in Oman as Saudi-Yemen War Escalates

Is Trump wisely keeping the U.S. out of another Yemen war or abandoning Saudi Arabia to the Houthis?

Published 3 days ago

US Meets Houthis in Oman as Saudi-Yemen War Escalates

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Above: Houthi fighters battle Saudi-backed forces for control of Mocha, Yemen, Sept. 12. Image credit: Houthi Media Center/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-Trump narrative

Ten years of bombing Yemen produced nothing but a stronger Houthi movement and a Saudi Arabia now scrambling for interceptors. Trump is right not to repeat the same failed strategy. The disputed Mecca claim is a convenient reason to pull Washington into another costly war, while direct talks in Muscat have kept the U.S.-Houthi truce intact and American ships off the target list.

Al Jazeera New York Post Axios The Washington Times

Anti-Trump narrative

Now that Trump has to admit the Houthis are hardened fighters who control the Bab al-Mandab, he seems increasingly unwilling to confront them directly. Their advance with little more than rifles and flip-flops against a Saudi war machine propped up by U.S. weapons speaks for itself. Trump is now left with only bad options after promising peace through strength in the Middle East, including leaving Riyadh largely on its own — a course that increasingly looks like retreat.