President Donald Trump has reportedly held off on planned U.S. military airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen over the weekend.
“We’re in constant communication with them,” Trump told Fox News in an exclusive phone call Sunday morning. “They don’t want to fight us.”
Trump had ordered the Pentagon to prepare strikes following a Thursday phone call from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who implored him for assistance.
Most of the president’s inner circle fiercely opposed
Most of the president’s inner circle fiercely opposed joining the Saudi-led fight against the Houthis
Following a 50-day U.S. bombing campaign in 2025, the Houthis agreed to stop firing on American ships — a pledge Trump noted they have upheld; however, the group has recently reignited its war with Saudi Arabia, capturing territory near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait and blockading Saudi shipping.
Saudi Arabia has pressured Washington for help, previously demonstrating its leverage by denying the U.S. airspace and bases for operations in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the report.
Current and former U.S. officials doubt that a renewed, limited bombing campaign would effectively neutralize the Houthis or force them to the negotiating table. Experts describe the Saudi-backed Yemeni ground forces as fractured and ineffective, while the Houthis have spent the last year reconstituting their arsenal and utilizing artificial intelligence to engineer new missiles.
Fox News’ Trey Yingst contributed to this report.
