Saudi Crown Prince Asked Trump to Strike Houthis, Report Says

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly contacted U.S. President Donald Trump twice on Tuesday, urging him to authorize strikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Trump, however, rejected the request, and U.S. officials indicated that the administration does not intend to take direct military action against the Houthis at this time. This comes as approximately 100 American military advisors are in Saudi Arabia, providing intelligence and advice on Houthi targets, though they are not actively participating in strikes, according to CNN.

In related news, foreign ministers from Gulf states are planning to meet with their Iranian counterpart. This meeting, facilitated by Oman and Iran, aims to secure agreement on a temporary arrangement for managing shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The meeting is expected to take place on Monday in Salalah, Oman, according to sources briefed on the matter.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that its Judea and Samaria Division, responsible for most of the West Bank, conducted a surprise drill involving all its units. The exercise, which will continue until the afternoon, is designed to test the operational readiness and alertness of the forces and practice various surprise scenarios as part of preparations for the upcoming holiday period. This drill is part of a series of exercises conducted by the IDF in recent weeks, including a large-scale drill last Sunday that assessed the readiness of senior IDF commands for complex, sudden scenarios across multiple fronts.