[UPDATE] Trump declined a prepared U.S. air campaign against the Houthis, giving Saudi Arabia intelligence and targeting data instead

The decision. Trump spent the weekend of Sept. 19-21 weighing U.S. airstrikes on the Houthis, the armed movement that controls northern Yemen, and then said no, two U.S. officials told Axios. He agreed to hand the Saudis intelligence and targeting data. No American aircraft will fly. The strait. The Houthis now hold both shores of the Bab al-Mandab, the 28-kilometer strait at the southern end of the Red Sea that every ship bound for the Suez Canal must pass. They have also widened their missile and drone attacks into Saudi Arabia, including the capital, Riyadh. The war's civilian toll, per the UN: * Displaced inside Yemen: more than 120,000 * Arrivals in Djibouti by boat: more than 3,000 * UN relief appeal for Yemen: about 20% funded, vs. 28.5% for last year's appeal Where it stands. The Houthis told U.S. diplomats they will not close the strait or fire on American ships. The State Department told Americans across the Middle East on Saturday, Sept. 19, to raise their guard after the Riyadh attack. (TS: They've held to that since the May 2025 truce, per Yemeni sources — the Saudi half of the pledge doesn't exist.)