Donald Trump says Houthis agreed not to attack US as strikes on Saudi Arabia continue
President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the Yemen-based Houthis have agreed not to attack the United States (US), days after Saudi Arabia requested Washington to strike the Iran-backed militia, even though the proposal was rejected by Washington.
Speaking to Fox News reporter Trey Yingst, the 80-year-old Republican leader said the Washington is “in constant communication with the Houthis and that they’ve agreed not to fight the United States.”
This is the second time in less than 10 days that Trump has said the Houthis have assured the US of not targeting American forces in the Middle East.
“The Houthis called us and they don’t want to fight with us,” he had told reporters during his visit to Ireland on September 12. “They don’t want us to go after them.”
The Houthis have intensified their attacks on Saudi forces in the region, following which the Kingdom approached the US and requested it to targeted the group; however, the proposal was rejected by the Trump administration after an assurance from the militias.
But the Trump administration has approved a USD 24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia to help it “deter current and future threats”.
The Houthis have also targeted Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh with cruise and ballistic missiles that caused an explosion at the airport, with photos and videos going viral on social media. The Saudis have also claimed that the Houthis targeted Mecca, Islam’s holiest place, but the group has dismissed it.
“The Houthis also attempted to target civilians and civilian infrastructure in Bisha, Taif, Farasan, and Yanbu,” a spokesperson of the Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthis said on X (previously Twitter). “The attacks were thwarted by the Gulf monarchy’s air defences”.
With the struggle against the Houthis continuing, the Saudis have turned to the Mecca pact, which it signed with Pakistan and Türkiye recently. Earlier, Pakistan had described the pact as a “defensive alliance” when asked if it would help the Saudis, but later made a U-turn following criticism and said it is committed to protecting the Kingdom.
“We will go to any extent for the security of (the two holy sanctuaries) and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Pakistan’s military spokesman Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told Arab News on Saturday. However, it still remains to be seen if the Pakistan would come to the rescue of the Saudis and would target the Houthis.
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