Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly asked US President Donald Trump for military assistance against Yemen’s Houthi movement as fighting intensified near the Red Sea.

Reuters and Axios reported that the Saudi leader raised the issue in telephone calls after Houthi forces made major territorial gains near the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The Trump administration declined to launch direct strikes at that stage but was reported to have offered expanded intelligence sharing and targeting support to Saudi Arabia.

The request indicated growing concern in Riyadh over threats to Saudi territory, energy infrastructure and shipping routes connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

Bab el-Mandeb is one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints, and further disruption could affect energy shipments and commercial traffic between Asia and Europe.

The accounts rely on officials familiar with private discussions; neither government immediately released a complete public transcript of the reported conversations.

References

• Reuters
• Axios
• Anadolu Agency

Featured image: asamw/Unsplash. The photograph is illustrative and does not show the reported events.