Saudi Arabia has been lobbying the US to stop all US attacks on Yemen ahead of President Donald Trump's visit to the kingdom, warning that it would create an "embarrassing situation" for Riyadh and the US, Middle East Eye can reveal.
Saudi Arabia has resisted the US bombing campaign in Yemen since the Biden administration began strikes in 2024, but their insistence that attacks stop picked up last week as they became more concerned about the scope of the strikes, two US officials told MEE on the condition of anonymity. "Trump appears to be meeting a Saudi ‘ask’ to stop strikes ahead of his visit," one of the US officials told MEE.
“The pressure from the Saudis to end this has intensified since last week. They told us that attacks on Yemen while POTUS is there would be playing with fire,” the official added, using an acronym for the US President.
Trump announced on Tuesday that “effective immediately”, the US would stop bombing Yemen. The officials could not confirm whether Trump was swayed by the Saudi lobbying alone or decided to stop the campaign based on his calculations.
The US strikes also came under intense criticism from some of Trump’s closest allies, such as media personality Tucker Carlson and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Shortly before Trump’s announcement, Greene mocked the entire premise of the campaign, writing, “I’ve never seen a Houthi. Nor has anyone else I know.”
Trump says he will 'honour' his word with Houthis
Trump said the Houthis informed the US on Monday night that “they don’t want to fight anymore, they just don’t want to fight”.
“We will honour that. We will stop the bombings,” Trump said, saying that the group promised not to attack ships.
Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi confirmed Trump’s announcement on X, adding that his country had been mediating a “ceasefire” between the US and the Houthis. “In the future, neither side will target the other, including American vessels, in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, ensuring freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping,’ al-Busaidi wrote on X.
Arab and US officials told MEE that Saudi Arabia has been fiercely “pre-negotiating” Trump’s visit. Saudi Arabia wants to focus on economic deals and military sales, Arab officials say.
MEE reported last week that Riyadh sought assurances from the US it would keep discussions of normalization with Israel off the agenda during Trump’s visit.
Saudi Arabia says it needs to see steps toward the creation of a Palestinian state and a ceasefire in Gaza before it recognizes Israel.
Israel bombs Sanaa same day as US 'ceasefire'
The “ceasefire” between the US and the Houthis could also reveal deeper schisms between Trump and Israel. Trump announced his halt in attacks the same day Israel pummeled Sanaa airport.
Neither Trump nor Oman’s foreign minister made any mention of the Houthis stopping their attacks on Israel in their announcements. Over the weekend, a Houthi ballistic missile hit a parking lot close to Terminal three at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, sending shockwaves through Israel.
Saudi Arabia has been deeply sceptical of the US bombing campaign against the Houthis since it began under the Biden administration in 2024.
Yemen descended into civil war in 2014 when the Iran-aligned Houthis seized Yemen's capital, Sanaa. A year later, Saudi Arabia led a coalition of Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates, to restore the internationally recognized government.
The Saudi-led coalition launched thousands of air strikes on Yemen, which failed to dislodge the Houthis but resulted in hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths and a major humanitarian crisis. The Houthis responded by lobbing missiles and drones at civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Saudi Arabia and the Houthis struck a truce in 2022. Although technically expired, the two sides have refrained from attacking each other. The Saudis' efforts to reach a political settlement with the Houthis have been complicated by the group’s attacks on international shipping and US and Israeli strikes.
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