President Donald Trump personally halted a fully prepared US airstrike operation against Houthi targets in Yemen on Sunday, September 20, 2026, with commanders having already approved target lists and troops loading bombs onto warplanes, according to a New York Times investigation citing multiple administration officials speaking anonymously. The operation was "just about to begin" when Trump called it off, two people briefed on the plan told the Times.
The reversal came three days after Trump had reportedly ordered the Pentagon to prepare the strikes, following a personal phone call from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) on September 17. That call itself followed two earlier rejected requests from MBS, detailed in Crisis.Zone's prior reporting on Washington's refusal to strike. Administration officials confirmed Sunday there would be no US strikes against the Houthis "at least not for the time being."
What is confirmed now
Trump told Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst on Sunday that the Houthis had agreed not to fight the United States and that Washington was in "constant communication" with the group. He described himself as being in "deciding mode" on the broader US-Iran war. A senior administration official said only that "the US has a defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and we will always defend our allies," declining further comment on Trump's deliberations.
The reversal followed a Houthi missile and drone barrage on Saturday that reportedly targeted Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport and Aramco facilities at Yanbu, a Red Sea route documented in Crisis.Zone's coverage of Saudi Arabia's export corridor. Trump cut short his Camp David weekend and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth left a Texas A&M football game to return to Washington, CNN reported.
Observers are reading: how the 2025 bombing campaign's cost and outcome inform what a renewed strike option would face now.
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Saudi Arabia's open questions
Saudi Arabia has not responded to repeated requests for comment on the war, and has not acknowledged carrying out recent airstrikes. What remains unresolved: the Houthis hold the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint, Iran has warned of unlimited retaliation, and Trump remains, in his own words, in "deciding mode."
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