Through messages to the “Houthis”… America reveals its desire to drag Saudi Arabia into the Bab Al-Mandeb quagmire

The US revealed on Saturday a strong desire to drag Saudi Arabia back into the quagmire of war in Bab Al-Mandeb, coinciding with Trump’s revelation of his anger at its neutrality in the recent war on Iran.

Exclusive – Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:

The former US envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking, stated in a special session organized by Yemeni study centers in Washington that his country views Bab Al-Mandeb as “a Saudi problem and nothing more.”

Lenderking attempted to incite Saudi Arabia to persist in escalation under the pretext that control by those he describes as the “Houthis” over Bab Al-Mandeb would limit Saudi oil flows and cause economic problems for it.

He also attempted to inflate what is currently happening by marketing claims about Sana’a’s intention to control areas south of the western coast, including Bab Al-Mandeb.

Lenderking’s speech included a signal to Sana’a that America would not intervene in any new escalation, indicating that the Trump administration is preoccupied with other files and issues.

Lenderking’s statements come within the framework of American messages that have continued since last week, most notably those conveyed by Fox News from a White House official and another from the US State Department spokesperson, all of which included messages to Sana’a about controlling the Yemeni side of the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait while requesting not to intercept American navigation only, in parallel with American media outlets devoting extensive space to exaggerating Sana’a’s reclamation of areas controlled by Saudi-loyal factions in Bab Al-Mandeb.

The shifts in the American position come following a naval battle that Sana’a decided early on by striking Saudi mobilizations that were already planning to escalate there.

It is unclear whether America realizes that control of those areas is now very close and within Sana’a’s military plans, or whether it is trying to forcibly push Saudi Arabia towards further escalation. However, the coincidence of talk about Bab al-Mandab with Trump’s expression of displeasure at Saudi Arabia’s role in the Iran war indicates a strong American desire to drown Saudi Arabia in war and prevent it from exiting the scene with minimal losses.