According to an Axios report published very late in the evening on July 13, President Trump gave his support to Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman “for a highly unusual military action against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, according to two U.S. officials.”
Earlier that same day, an Iranian airliner preparing to land at Sana’a International Airport carrying the Houthi delegation that had attended funeral ceremonies in Iran for the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was forced to divert to Hodeida after the runway at the Sana’a airport was bombed. The Houthis immediately blamed the Saudis for the attack, while the official Yemen government based in Aden said it was responsible.
“The fact that MBS notified Trump in advance and asked for his backing signals that the Saudis are concerned about a larger conflict with the Houthis that will require military and diplomatic support from the U.S.,” Axios continued. They then provide the following sequence of events:
