US Support for Saudi Attacks in Yemen Could Escalate Conflict with Iran

According to reports in the American press, a development that could expand the US war against Iran has occurred. The long-standing tension between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis poses a risk of escalating the conflict between the US and Iran.The Sana International Airport, controlled by Yemeni Houthis, was attacked as an Iranian plane carrying a Houthi delegation returning from the funeral of Iran's late religious leader Ali Khamenei approached the capital. The plane was reportedly forced to divert to the Red Sea port city of Al Hudaydah.According to Axios, Riyadh sought support from Washington a few days before the attack. The Saudi ambassador spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the phone, and Rubio also spoke with the Saudi foreign minister. A US official stated that Trump later had a phone conversation with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and received his support for the operation.Sana was seized by the Houthis, a Shia movement linked to Iran, in 2014, leading to a Saudi-led military intervention the following year. A ceasefire brokered by the UN in April 2022 officially ended six months later but largely halted cross-border clashes.