# Trump Reportedly Ordered, Then Cancelled, Planned U.S. Airstrikes on Houthis in Yemen

*Monday, September 21, 2026 at 4:05 AM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-09-21T04:05:38.670Z (4h ago)
**Category**: geopolitics | **Region**: Middle East
**Importance**: 9/10
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/18413.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Deck**: Donald Trump decided not to launch U.S. airstrikes on Houthi forces in Yemen after the Pentagon had prepared the operation, according to reporting that describes a brief order to plan a large strike package following a Saudi appeal.

U.S. airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen came close to happening but were called off after preparations were already underway, according to public reporting based on U.S. officials.

Accounts dated 21 September say Donald Trump decided not to launch U.S. strikes on the Houthis, reversing course after the Pentagon had prepared the operation. After Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged him to intervene, Trump ordered the Pentagon to prepare airstrikes and, as a separate report puts it, to assemble a large strike package for dealing with the Houthis. By Sunday, he had changed his mind and cancelled the operation.

The reporting states that most of Trump’s inner circle was deeply skeptical of, or outright opposed to, joining Saudi Arabia’s fight in Yemen and opening another front in the Middle East. Those advisers were wary of the risks of a direct confrontation with the Houthis and potential wider fallout in a region where U.S. forces are already present.

For the Pentagon, the episode shows how military planners can be tasked to ready assets and targets for a substantial operation that might not go ahead. Once Trump gave the initial instruction, commands had to prepare for the possibility of strikes; the later decision not to proceed meant those plans remained on the shelf.

The cancellation leaves U.S. involvement in Yemen where it was before this episode: supporting partners and monitoring the conflict, but without the large‑scale air campaign against Houthi targets that was briefly under consideration. Signals to watch now include any renewed requests from Saudi Arabia for U.S. military action, and whether future U.S. leaders choose to keep Yemen at arm’s length or revisit options for direct strikes.