Pentagon divide caused aborted US strike on Houthis — report

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Concerns over the spillover effects of military action against Yemen’s Houthi rebels led US President Donald Trump to call off a planned strike against the Iran-backed group hours before it was scheduled to commence Sunday afternoon, NBC news reports.

According to the report, citing unnamed US officials, the strikes were scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Sunday, but were called off at 2 p.m. The possibility of future attacks have not been taken off the table, an official said.

The New York Times reported earlier that the Trump administration had prepared to launch airstrikes against the Houthis after fresh pleas from the Saudi crown prince, with the Houthis threatening to advance on Marib, home to Yemen’s most extensive oil infrastructure.

“Some military leaders are making the case within the Pentagon and to Trump administration officials that opening another military front in the region is a bad idea amid concerns about the Pentagon’s dwindling supply of defensive and long-range weaponry, while noting that the Houthis are not striking U.S. ships,” NBC news reports.

One official cited by the report said there were concerns that a strike on the Houthi could put US troops in the region at further risk of attack. Previous US attacks on Iranian assets have been met with Iranian missile and drone attacks on Gulf oil sites and US military personnel stationed in the region.

At the same time, other military leaders believe that not striking the Houthis would betray an important ally, arguing that the US should help bolster Saudi claims of air superiority, especially after the rebels claimed to have downed one of the kingdom’s F-15s on Sunday.

The head of Yemen’s governing body Rashad al-Alimi held a call with Trump to request American support against the pro-Iranian fighters, a source in Alimi’s office told AFP on Monday.

Trump did not promise military support, the source said, adding that the call that took place on Sunday was intended as a show of solidarity with Yemen’s embattled government.