U.S. military leaders divided over action against the Houthis

WASHINGTON — U.S. military leaders are divided on whether President Donald Trump should get involved with the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, according to two U.S. officials. The Saudis have been asking Trump for the U.S. military to take action against the Houthis, a request that grew more urgent in recent days as the rebels claimed they shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet and were quickly advancing on Marib province, which is home to Yemen’s largest oil and gas fields. Some military leaders are making the case within the Pentagon and to Trump administration officials that opening another military front in the region is a bad idea amid concerns about the Pentagon’s dwindling supply of defensive and long-range weaponry, while noting that the Houthis are not striking U.S.

ships, the U.S. officials said. Yet other military leaders are arguing in favor of strikes, saying the U.S. should help Riyadh retaliate for Houthi strikes in Saudi Arabia and the claim of downing of the F-15 — a challenge to Saudi air superiority over Yemen, the officials said. They said these military leaders are privately expressing concern that for the U.S. not to act more forcefully is a betrayal of an important regional ally. Trump had ordered strikes against the Houthis to begin around 5 p.m.