With Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels escalating attacks on Saudi Arabia on multiple fronts, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, met the commander of U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East.
Iran International, an anti-Iran outlet, reported on the 14th local time that the crown prince received Gen. Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, and his delegation in Jeddah during their visit to the kingdom. Neither side disclosed details of the meeting, the outlet said, noting only that they "discussed bilateral relations and recent regional developments."
The meeting drew attention because it came as the Iran-backed Houthis have been mounting fierce attacks with heavy firepower on Saudi military and oil refining facilities.
The Houthis said they carried out a large-scale drone and missile attack on a Saudi air base the same day. Yahya Saree, the group's military spokesman, said on Telegram that "the Yemeni armed forces conducted a large-scale operation targeting military and infrastructure facilities including aircraft hangars, runways and ammunition depots at King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait," adding that "dozens of ballistic missiles and drones were used."
Saudi Arabia is seeking to strike back. U.S. news outlet Axios reported on the 11th that the crown prince had asked President Donald Trump for direct U.S. strikes on the Houthis but that Trump refused. Trump did agree to provide Saudi Arabia with intelligence and materials on potential strike targets, Axios said.
In mid-July, the Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia for an airstrike on the airport in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital under their control, and declared an end to a truce reached in 2022. They then announced a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, calling it retaliation for the kingdom's siege of Yemen, and have since intensified attacks on Saudi vessels and facilities.
