Folks, I almost spilled my coffee reading this one. It seems that the US has decided to send over 100 military advisers to Saudi Arabia to help them out with their campaign against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. Because, you know, that’s exactly what we need – another conflict in the Middle East. I mean, it’s not like we have enough on our plate already. The advisers will be providing intelligence and targeting support, which is just a fancy way of saying they’ll be helping the Saudis pick their targets. Bless their hearts.
The US military personnel are working as part of a newly-established joint forces command, which was formed in recent weeks amid signs Iran was ramping up its own efforts to aid Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia. One of the sources, a US official, said that the total number of troops is roughly 200. I guess that’s not a lot, considering the size of the conflict, but still, it’s a start.
The presence of US troops assisting Saudi Arabia was described to CNN by five sources familiar with the operations. I’m sure it’s all very hush-hush, but somehow CNN managed to get the scoop. The US has helped Saudi Arabia use a targeting tool that allows military officers to see in real-time what is happening on the battlefield. Because, you know, that’s not something that could be used for nefarious purposes or anything.
However, there are currently tight limits to the US support, the sources say. The US is sharing intelligence with Saudi Arabia, but it is not participating directly in strikes. The US is also not helping refuel Saudi warplanes or providing other operational support, as it has in past fighting with the Houthis. I guess that’s a good thing, considering the whole civilian casualties thing.
The effort is instead focused on ensuring Saudi Arabia’s operations run smoothly and professionally, one of the sources said. Yeah, because that’s exactly what the Saudis need – a little bit of American know-how to make their war efforts more efficient. All of the sources characterized the effort as an extension of preexisting cooperation and training the US was already providing to Saudi Arabia, a strong regional ally.
A Department of Defense official told CNN that “as a matter of practice we do not comment on intelligence-related matters.” Wow, what a shocking statement. I bet the Saudis are just thrilled to have the US helping them out, even if it’s just a little bit. The US support comes amid recent Houthi advances on the peninsula, with fighting in recent days perhaps at its sharpest pitch since 2022.
The militia group on Thursday seized a strategic Red Sea port that could allow it to threaten a key shipping waterway, the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, and killed dozens of civilians in a missile and drone attack on Saudi Arabia earlier this week. You can’t make this stuff up, folks. It’s like they’re trying to create a real-life action movie.
But hanging over the US effort are the memories of years of controversial targeting support American forces provided to Riyadh during the Obama and first Trump administrations that critics said contributed to a high number of civilian casualties. Oh boy, I can already see the headlines – “US Accused of War Crimes in Yemen (Again)”. Later, in Trump’s second administration, the US launched a months-long campaign against the Houthis in Yemen that ended in an abrupt ceasefire agreement.
US officials have been closely monitoring the Houthis as the US war in Iran has ground on and threatened to spill over into proxy conflicts elsewhere in the region. Because, you know, we didn’t have enough proxy wars already. US officials believe there are currently hundreds of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps officers in Yemen, working alongside the Houthis with the goal of ultimately shutting down the Bab-el-Mandeb strait.
CNN previously reported that Iran had been plotting an economic “nuclear option” if negotiations with the US fall apart: getting the Houthis to close that key waterway. Secretary of State Marco Rubio alluded to intelligence about the IRGC presence in Yemen earlier this week when he told reporters that Iran had a hand in recent Houthi attacks targeting Saudi energy infrastructure.
Still, US forces are already stretched thin after more than six months of fighting in Iran, during which American troops in the region have absorbed repeated missile and drone attacks, long deployments and concerns about munitions. The US military is also focusing most of its attention on operations around the Strait of Hormuz, carrying out strikes against Iranian targets, escorting commercial ships through the waterway and maintaining a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
And there is a deep wariness inside the military of being too closely associated with a Saudi strike campaign against the Houthis — especially if a strike goes wrong and there are civilian casualties, as happened in the past, another US official said. Yeah, because that would be a real PR disaster. “This is not the old days,” another of the sources said. No kidding, it’s not the old days – it’s the days of endless war and conflict in the Middle East.
In conclusion, it seems like the US is getting involved in another conflict in the Middle East, because why not? We’ve got nothing better to do, right? The US is providing support to Saudi Arabia in their campaign against the Houthis, but with tight limits, because we don’t want to get too dirty. It’s all very complicated, but one thing is for sure – it’s going to be a long and bloody conflict. And on that note, I’m going to go refill my coffee cup, because this is going to be a long day.
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
