US Sends 100 Military Advisers to Saudi Arabia as Houthi Gains Threaten 5 Million Barrels a Day
Updated
Updated · CNN · Sep 13
US Sends 100 Military Advisers to Saudi Arabia as Houthi Gains Threaten 5 Million Barrels a Day
2 articles · Updated · CNN · Sep 13
Summary
Around 100 US military advisers have been deployed to Saudi Arabia to provide intelligence support for Riyadh’s campaign against the Houthis, even as Washington declines to launch direct strikes.
The move follows a sharp Houthi escalation: the group seized Perim Island and Mocha near the Bab al-Mandeb strait, while a drone attack shut Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline.
That pipeline has been rerouting about 5 million barrels a day after the Iran war effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, raising the stakes for Saudi retaliation and global energy flows.
Analysts say Riyadh has few good options: a full-scale response could reopen a devastating Yemen war, draw in Iran and more directly entangle Saudi Arabia in the broader US-Iran conflict.
Saudi officials have so far signaled restraint, but experts say political options are nearly exhausted and fighting backed by the Saudi-led coalition is likely to intensify within days.
If Iraqi drones can cripple Saudi Arabia's only major bypass for the Strait of Hormuz, is the global oil market facing an imminent shock?
Surrounded by hostile proxies and facing limited military options, will Riyadh be forced to surrender its regional dominance to secure its own borders?
With Houthis controlling a vital Red Sea chokepoint, could a single strike sever the undersea cables connecting Europe and Asia's digital economies?