Trump says Houthis asked US not to intervene in Yemen
Trump said the Houthis asked the US not to intervene in their conflict with Saudi Arabia. The Houthis expanded control along Yemen's Red Sea coast, seizing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Saudi Arabia asked Trump twice to strike the Houthis, but he rejected the request.
Why it matters: This bears on the briefing theme of Red Sea threat, as the Houthi advance and US non-intervention reshape the security of a global shipping chokepoint.