‘Bad idea’ or ‘betrayal’: Pentagon split that led Trump to cancel Houthi strikes – Ynetnews

‘Bad idea’ or ‘betrayal’: Pentagon split that led Trump to cancel Houthi strikes  Ynetnews

President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. military to prepare for an attack in Yemen on Sunday at 5 p.m. local time. But three hours earlier — shortly after 2 p.m. — a new directive arrived: He had changed his mind, and the order was canceled. NBC News reported overnight Monday into Tuesday on the dispute that preceded the cancellation and the dilemma facing the top ranks of the U.S. military over whether to intervene in the conflict between Saudi Arabia, a key American ally in the Middle East, and Yemen’s Houthi rebels. According to two U.S. officials, senior military leaders were divided over whether Trump should intervene in the fighting, which has continued for several weeks amid Houthi advances and repeated attacks on Saudi Arabia, as well as on U.S.

targets in the region. The Saudis have appealed to Trump several times to act against the Houthis — a request that became more urgent in recent days after the rebels claimed to have shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet and advanced rapidly toward Marib province, home to Yemen’s largest oil and gas fields. According to the officials who spoke with NBC, some senior military figures have argued — both in Pentagon discussions and in conversations with Trump administration officials — that opening another military front in the region would