U.S.-Houthi contacts reported as tensions with Saudi Arabia escalate
Reuters reports that U.S. officials have met with senior Houthi representatives at the U.S. Embassy in Oman, in talks focused on preventing attacks on American and Israeli-linked shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
According to Reuters, Houthi representatives said they remain committed to the 2025 ceasefire agreement with Washington. The delegation reportedly included Mohammed Abdulsalam, a senior Houthi figure based in Muscat who is under U.S. sanctions.
The reported contacts come after President Donald Trump said the Houthis had asked the United States not to intervene in their confrontation with Saudi Arabia. The developments have raised questions about Washington’s approach to the escalating Saudi-Houthi conflict.
The Houthis have also claimed that they shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Marib using a domestically produced surface-to-air missile. The claim has not been independently verified.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone that was heading toward restricted airspace near Mecca. The Houthis denied targeting Mecca, saying their operations are directed at oil facilities and military bases.
The Houthis have separately claimed that Saudi Arabia carried out more than 450 airstrikes during the past week across Taiz, Lahj, Al Jawf, Hajjah, Marib, Saada and Al Bayda. These figures have not been independently verified. Saudi authorities have reported intercepting Houthi attacks and issued air-raid warnings in several areas.
🔴🇺🇸🇮🇱 Separately, Washington is preparing a reported $2.8 billion weapons package for Israel.
The Washington Post has reported that the proposed package includes 20,000 MK-84 bombs, 20,000 BLU-117 bombs and 20,000 I-2000 penetrator warheads.
The weapons would be provided through U.S. Foreign Military Financing rather than purchased directly by Israel. The reported package comes amid continuing regional tensions involving Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Iran.
The MK-84 is a 2,000-pound general-purpose bomb capable of causing extensive blast and fragmentation damage. The Biden administration previously paused one shipment of heavy bombs to Israel in 2024 over concerns about their potential impact in densely populated areas. The Trump administration subsequently reversed that suspension in 2025.
Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson has also discussed the reported weapons package, citing what he described as a federal official familiar with the matter and claiming the bombs could be used in Lebanon and potentially elsewhere in the region. That claim has not been independently confirmed.
The developments come as the United States manages competing security relationships across the region, while fighting and tensions involving Saudi Arabia, the Houthis, Israel and Iran continue to evolve.