Houthis push for control of Yemen’s highlands
• Trump speaks with Yemen’s president, doesn’t pledge military support
• NYT says US president reversed decision on air strikes on Houthis
DUBAI: Houthi fighters were pushing to seize strategic heights in Yemen on Monday to cut off the Red Sea coast from remaining areas held by Saudi-backed forces, after a report that President Donald Trump had called off US strikes on the group at the last minute.
US President Trump spoke by phone with Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi on Sunday, four people familiar with the matter said, discussing the advances of the Houthis around a vital global waterway.
Alimi requested US support for his Saudi-backed government in its fight against the Houthis, who this month took key areas along the Bab al-Mandab strait in a lightning offensive.
Two of the sources, one Yemeni and one Western, said Trump had made no direct pledge of military support during the call. The White House and Yemen’s information minister did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
On the other hand, a lightning advance by the Houthis this month has extended the wider Middle East conflict to a new theatre.
Strategic heights
Five Yemeni military sources told Reuters that the Houthis were now seeking to seize strategic heights, known as the Kahboub Mountains, in two provinces, Taiz and Lahij, which separate the Red Sea coast from the government-held south.
Fighting has centred on the outskirts of the remote mountain Al-Wazi’iyah district in Taiz province, and Ras al-Ara along the Indian Ocean coast between the mouth of the Red Sea that the fighters captured last week and the government’s base in Aden.
The Houthis aim to secure the rear of their forces around the Bab al-Mandab Strait leading into the Red Sea by taking control of the heights, which would allow them to open new fronts, according to the sources. That would help protect exposed positions the Houthis captured during their advance around Dhubab on the Red Sea and on Perim Island in the strait.
The Houthis, who have controlled Yemen’s capital since 2014, seized the country’s Red Sea coast this month in a lightning advance that routed forces of an internationally recognised Yemeni government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia and based in the south.
Saudi plea
The New York Times reported that President Trump has changed his strategy on Yemen several times, torn between Saudi pressure to strike the Iran-backed Houthis and the risk of opening another front in the Middle East war.
It said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump on Sunday “to implore him, again, to step in to help blunt the rapidly advancing group”.
Trump had told his advisers the day before that he opposed strikes but changed his mind after the call and “told the Pentagon to prepare for air strikes against the Houthis”, the newspaper reported, citing anonymous administration officials.
However, he appeared to have reversed his decision again by midday Sunday, it said.
Trump’s decision to pull back from striking the Houthis came as “commanders had approved target lists, troops were loading bombs onto US warplanes selected for the missions and the wave of attacks was just about to begin”, the Times said, citing two people briefed on the operation.
US news platform Axios said Trump had already refused a Saudi request to strike the Houthis last week. Fox News reported on Sunday that Trump had said the Houthis have agreed not to hit US targets.
Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2026
