More than 100 American military advisers are supporting Saudi forces as Houthi advances put a vital Red Sea shipping route under greater pressure.
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA — The United States has expanded military support for Saudi Arabia through a newly established joint forces command as Iran-aligned Houthi forces make their biggest territorial gains in Yemen in years and increase pressure on a major global shipping route.
Between 100 and 200 U.S. military personnel are working in Saudi Arabia as part of the command, according to reporting based on U.S. officials and other people familiar with the effort. The advisers are providing intelligence-sharing and targeting assistance to Saudi forces. The deployment represents a broader American role in supporting Riyadh but stops short of direct U.S. participation in Saudi strikes against the Houthis.
The expanded support comes as Houthi forces push south along Yemen’s Red Sea coast toward the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the narrow waterway linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. The group seized the strategic port city of Mocha on Sept. 10 and later captured Perim Island, which sits in the middle of the strait. The gains have increased concerns that the Houthis could threaten shipping through another of the Middle East’s most important maritime chokepoints.
U.N. Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg told the Security Council on Sept. 10 that the risk of renewed large-scale conflict in Yemen had become a reality. He said the Houthi offensive had given the group a direct presence on the approaches to the Bab al-Mandeb and raised serious concerns about freedom of navigation. The fighting has also spread across other parts of Yemen, including Taiz, Hudaydah, Marib, al-Jawf and al-Bayda.
The U.N. said humanitarian organizations had reported more than 11,400 households newly displaced across Yemen since Sept. 3, most of them in Taiz and southern Hudaydah. Grundberg called for the Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, to halt attacks inside Yemen, strikes across the border into Saudi Arabia and threats against commercial shipping.
The military pressure has also moved directly into Saudi territory. The Saudi-led coalition said Houthi attacks on Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran injured 73 civilians, including women and children. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki described the attacks as a serious escalation and said Saudi-led forces would take measures to protect the kingdom and respond to the threat. The Houthis have said their operations are defensive and would end if attacks on Yemen stopped.
The latest fighting has become especially important because Saudi Arabia has relied more heavily on its Red Sea export route during the wider regional conflict. Iran-related disruptions have sharply reduced normal traffic through the Strait of Hormuz on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula. Saudi Arabia has moved crude through its east-west pipeline to the Red Sea, but an attack on that pipeline Friday forced it offline, adding new uncertainty over the kingdom’s ability to move oil to global markets.
Saudi Arabia had enough oil stored at the Red Sea port of Yanbu to maintain exports for about five to seven days if the pipeline remained closed, traders and Saudi oil buyers told Reuters on Sunday. Oil prices had already moved above $100 a barrel during the previous week as traders reacted to disruptions around Hormuz, attacks on Saudi infrastructure and the Houthi advance toward Bab al-Mandeb.
The growing U.S. presence in Saudi Arabia is focused on intelligence and battlefield support rather than direct combat, according to CNN’s reporting. American personnel are helping Saudi forces with intelligence sharing and targeting, including technology that can give military officers a near-real-time view of battlefield activity. U.S. personnel are not directly carrying out Saudi strikes or refueling Saudi aircraft as part of the effort, according to the report.
The creation of the joint command reflects concern in Washington and Riyadh over both the Houthi advance and Iran’s support for the group. U.S. and regional officials have accused Iran of providing military assistance and guidance to the Houthis. Iran has rejected claims that it controls the group and has called for negotiations rather than expanded military action in Yemen.
The developments also leave Washington balancing competing priorities. The United States has longstanding security ties with Saudi Arabia and wants to protect commercial shipping, but a deeper military intervention against the Houthis could open another front in an already widening regional conflict. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman recently sought additional U.S. military assistance against the Houthis, according to Reuters, while Washington has so far offered intelligence support rather than agreeing to direct strikes.
For now, the Houthi advance has strengthened the group’s position along Yemen’s western coast while raising the stakes for Saudi Arabia, the United States and international shipping. Fighting remains active, diplomatic efforts have struggled to contain the escalation, and control of territory around the Bab al-Mandeb remains central to what happens next.
Author note: Last updated September 13, 2026.