Yemen Leader Asks Trump for U.S. Support Against Houthis

The head of Yemen's governing body Rashad al-Alimi held a call with US President Donald Trump in which he requested American support against the Iran-backed Houthis, a source in Alimi's office told Media on Monday.

Trump did not promise military support, the source said, adding that the call took place on Sunday and was intended as a show of solidarity with Yemen's embattled government after the Houthis seized the country's entire Red Sea coast in a lightning offensive.

Alimi heads Yemen's Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council, whose forces are fighting the Houthis with air support from the



kingdom. His request follows a Houthi attack on Riyadh on Saturday, their first to target the Saudi capital in years and a major escalation. 

US media has reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has also urged Trump to strike the Houthis, who have attacked the kingdom repeatedly since July.

The New York Times said the crown prince called Trump on Sunday "to implore him, again" to help counter the group's advances, and Axios has previously said that Trump rebuffed a similar request last week. Media reported on Sunday that Trump had said the Houthis have agreed not to hit US targets.