The United States met directly with Houthi leaders at the embassy in Muscat, Oman, following a rapid militant offensive along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. Washington opted against military intervention to assist Saudi Arabia, prompting Riyadh to confront a multi-front security crisis alone as regional allies remain absent.
US-Houthi Talks in Muscat and the Decision to Stand Aside
American officials met with representatives of Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement over the weekend at the U.S. Embassy in Muscat, Oman, according to reporting from Reuters. The diplomatic outreach followed a lightning offensive that carried the militant group across western Yemen and into control of several islands along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital shipping chokepoint.
During the meetings, the Houthi delegation assured American personnel that the ceasefire agreement struck in 2025 remained intact and that the movement had no intention of targeting United States shipping in the Red Sea. A former deputy U.S. ambassador to Yemen, Nabeel Khoury, told The Guardian that a kind of tacit understanding
had emerged between the Trump administration and the Houthis.
“The Houthis are promising the American administration that American and international navigation will not be affected in the Red Sea, but the only danger is to Saudi ships or those carrying Saudi oil.”
Nabeel Khoury, former US deputy ambassador to Yemen
While President Donald Trump condemned the Houthi advance for threatening freedom of navigation through the Bab al-Mandab strait, the United States rejected any military deployment to help Riyadh drive back the offensive. U.S. Vice President JD Vance confirmed the diplomatic channel during media appearances.
Saudi Arabia Faces a Two-Front War With Absent Allies
The U.S. refusal to intervene leaves Saudi Arabia isolated as it attempts to manage security threats from multiple directions. Houthi missiles and drones have struck targets inside Saudi territory, while Iran-aligned militias in Iraq disabled the strategic East-West Pipeline with a drone strike, cutting off a crucial route that allowed crude exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, the kingdom’s new defense partners have offered no military support. Pakistan and Turkey, signatories of the Mecca Pact, have ruled out combat operations in Yemen. Neil Quilliam, an expert on the Gulf with Chatham House, told Middle East Eye that Saudi Arabia is in a huge bind right now.
“They are pretty alone. The US isn’t there. The Mecca Pact states haven’t shown up. They have few cards to play.”
Neil Quilliam, Chatham House
Disputed Mecca Drone Attack and Escalating Rhetoric
As military pressures mounted, Riyadh reported that defensive forces intercepted a drone entering prohibited airspace near the holy shrines in Mecca on Tuesday. Coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki stated that the drone was destroyed at approximately 6:50 pm local time. The incident drew immediate condemnation from the UN-recognised Yemeni government in Aden, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Houthi leadership rejected the accusation entirely.
The escalation also saw claims of direct military exchanges.
The Ground Dilemma in Yemen
Riyadh faces severe limitations on the ground inside Yemen. The National Resistance Forces, a militia previously backed by the United Arab Emirates that held the Red Sea coastline, largely melted away during the Houthi advance.
According to Bernard Haykel, a professor of Near Eastern studies at Princeton University, the only local ground force capable of fighting the Houthis is the Southern Transitional Council (STC), which seeks an independent southern Yemeni state. However, cooperation remains stalled due to a rift between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
With global supplies of U.S.-made interceptors running low and Western partners declining to launch new bombing campaigns, Saudi Arabia faces limited options against Houthis as it weighs whether to pursue difficult diplomatic compromises or risk a renewed full-scale ground campaign that past years proved unable to win.
