CENTCOM chief in Saudi Arabia as Yemen's Houthis seize Bab al-Mandeb

WASHINGTON — The top US commander overseeing all American military forces in the Middle East is in Saudi Arabia to coordinate a potential response to Yemen's Houthi rebels routing the country's Saudi-backed, government-aligned forces, Al-Monitor can confirm.

US Navy Adm. Brad Cooper flew to the kingdom overnight Thursday as Yemen's Riyadh-backed forces crumbled in the face of a lightning Houthi offensive southward along Yemen's western coast this week, two people familiar with the matter said. He was expected to meet with top Saudi officials as they seek to consolidate the battered military effort by forces aligned with Yemen's government.

The Houthis seized the Red Sea port city of Mocha on Thursday before capturing Dhubab and Perim Island, which lies at the mouth of the Red Sea, on Friday. The moves effectively put the Iran-armed rebels in a position to exert control over the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait, a key economic waterway through which much of Arab states' oil and gas exports have been routed since Iran began attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Trump administration has avoided authorizing direct US military intervention in Yemen since the US launched the war with Iran in late February. On Thursday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asked President Donald Trump twice to authorize US airstrikes in Yemen but was denied, Axios reported.

A spokesperson for the White House did not return Al-Monitor's request for comment by publication time. A spokesperson for US Central Command declined to comment on Cooper's travel.

This is a developing story and will be updated.