Saudi Arabia has requested missile defense support from allies as the United States sees its stock of interceptors diminish. The US reiterated its support for Yemen’s internationally recognized government on Wednesday as fighting intensified between the Saudi-led coalition and Houthi forces. US officials also held direct talks with Houthi representatives in Oman last weekend, according to sources cited by Reuters.
Yemeni government forces reported that the coalition had struck Houthi positions around Mocha and that government forces had launched drone attacks in Marib. The Houthis claimed to have shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Marib.
Saudi Arabia is reportedly running low on missile interceptors and has asked regional and Western allies for assistance, according to two officials who spoke to The Associated Press. The Saudis requested air-defense support from France, Pakistan, Egypt, and the United Kingdom to help defend against Houthi attacks. One official noted that Saudi Arabia’s main ally and arms supplier, the US, has seen its own stock of interceptors dwindle during the conflict with Iran.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesman Tim Hawkins told Al Jazeera that the US is “closely monitoring” the situation between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government in Yemen, emphasizing the longstanding military relationship with Saudi Arabia.
Despite US assistance to the Saudi campaign, American officials held direct talks with Houthi representatives in Oman last weekend, according to three sources who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. The meeting occurred at the US embassy in Muscat with the assistance of the Omani government, two sources reported.
During the Muscat meeting, the Houthis assured US officials they had no intention of attacking US vessels and expressed commitment to the 2025 ceasefire with the US, according to the sources.
Meanwhile, the top US diplomat for Yemen, Neil Hop, conveyed to Yemen’s Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zouba that the US maintains strong support for Yemen’s internationally recognized government, as stated by the US embassy in Yemen.
“The United States of America stands in solidarity with the Yemen government and its people against Iran-backed Houthi aggression,” the embassy said, citing Hop in a post on X.
The Yemeni government’s army reported that the Saudi-led coalition targeted Houthi outposts and equipment around the southwestern port city of Mocha. In a separate social media post, the government’s army stated they conducted drone attacks on Houthi forces in northern Marib governorate.
On Wednesday evening, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree reported that “Saudi warplanes launched 40 air strikes targeting the provinces of Taiz, Marib, and Hodeidah over the past 24 hours.” In response, the Houthis targeted the Khamis Mushait airbase and an oil facility in the Saudi Red Sea port city of Yanbu, according to the group's statement.
The Houthis also claimed to have shot down a Saudi fighter jet using a “locally made surface-to-air missile” over the central province of Marib. Al Jazeera’s Yemen correspondent Yousef Mawry noted that the downing of Saudi fighter jets “could very well mean a change in the balance of power” as “Saudi Arabia depends heavily on its ability to carry out air strikes against Houthi positions in various provinces.”