COLOMBO ‒ Human rights advocates Yasmin Sooka and Frances Harrison have raised concerns over Sri Lanka’s contribution to the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) in Haiti, questioning whether adequate human rights screening was carried out before the deployment of Sri Lankan personnel.

In an opinion article, published on PassBlue the two authors said the United Nations Security Council is due to decide on the renewal of the GSF mandate, which expires on September 30, while the United States and Panama are leading negotiations on the mandate.

Sri Lanka has contributed one of the larger contingents to the militarized operation, with 900 Army personnel and 189 Special Task Force personnel, according to Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence.

The authors said the deployment was particularly concerning given the findings of a confidential UN investigation in 2007 into allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse involving members of successive Sri Lankan contingents serving in Haiti between 2005 and 2007.

According to the investigation, credible allegations implicated at least 134 Sri Lankan personnel in the sexual exploitation and abuse of Haitian children, some as young as eight. More than 108 Sri Lankan personnel were repatriated by the UN in 2007.

Sooka and Harrison said there was no evidence that any of those personnel were subsequently prosecuted for the alleged offences.

They cited findings by joint UN and Sri Lankan investigators that the abuse followed an organized pattern, with children allegedly exploited in exchange for food or small amounts of money at locations where Sri Lankan troops were deployed.

The authors also questioned Sri Lanka’s subsequent handling of the allegations, saying official accounts of disciplinary action varied over time and that no members of the contingents were imprisoned for the alleged rape of children.

Sri Lankan troops serving with the GSF arrived in Port-au-Prince in July 2026, while a further contingent reached Gonaïves in August as the force expanded operations into Haiti’s Artibonite region.

The authors argued that the deployment raises questions not only about Sri Lanka’s screening procedures but also about the UN’s responsibility, as the GSF operates under national flags and a non-UN command rather than as a conventional UN peacekeeping mission.

They noted that the UN Support Office in Haiti (UNSOH), established by the Security Council, provides logistical, medical and transport support to the force. They argued that such support brings the UN’s Human Rights Due Diligence Policy into consideration, requiring the organization to assess and mitigate risks that its assistance could contribute to serious human rights violations.

The authors said credible and independent screening of personnel was therefore essential.

They also pointed to Sri Lanka’s previous human rights screening arrangements for personnel nominated for international peacekeeping missions.

According to the article, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) assumed a special screening role in 2016 under an arrangement with the UN and in coordination with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

However, the authors said the mechanism faced difficulties, including the deployment in 2017 of 49 personnel to the UN mission in Lebanon without HRCSL clearance. They said the screening system was subsequently strengthened but that the HRCSL withdrew from its vetting role in June 2024.

Citing the HRCSL’s own lessons-learned report, they said the commission had faced pressure to expedite screening and reconsider decisions not to clear particular applicants.

The authors argued that, two years after the HRCSL’s withdrawal, there was still no credible replacement mechanism for screening Sri Lankan personnel deployed on international operations.

They questioned a proposal to establish an interministerial committee advised by the police and HRCSL, arguing that such an arrangement could leave the state effectively responsible for screening its own personnel.

They also raised questions over whether confidential information held by OHCHR could be incorporated into such a mechanism and whether adverse findings would be binding.

The article further claimed that interim screening of Sri Lankan personnel for the Haiti deployment had relied on information provided by Sri Lankan authorities, diplomatic checks and self-declarations.

The authors said the reported rejection of at least one Sri Lankan candidate by the US Embassy in Haiti under the US Leahy Law raised additional concerns about the screening process.

They also questioned the participation of Sri Lankan Deputy Minister of Defence in discussions on developing a new peacekeeping screening mechanism, noting that he had served as second-in-command of Sri Lanka’s third Haiti contingent during the period covered by the UN investigation.

The authors stressed that this did not establish any personal involvement in the alleged abuses but said it created a potential appearance of a conflict of interest if he participated in designing or certifying a mechanism examining the conduct of former contingents.

They contrasted Sri Lanka’s treatment with that of Bangladesh, saying OHCHR had recommended in February 2025 that Bangladesh establish an effective and sufficiently independent human rights screening mechanism before nominating personnel for the Haiti operation.

Sooka and Harrison questioned why a comparable condition had not been applied before Sri Lanka’s deployment.

They also highlighted the continuing risks facing children in Haiti, citing UN records of substantiated cases of sexual exploitation and abuse involving personnel from the Kenyan-led predecessor mission in 2025.

The authors noted that Sri Lankan troops are now operating at forward bases in the Artibonite region, while UNICEF has estimated that children account for a significant proportion of members of Haiti’s armed groups.

They argued that the combination of Sri Lanka’s previous record in Haiti, the current security environment and the absence of what they consider an independent screening mechanism should prompt the UN and Sri Lankan authorities to review the safeguards governing the deployment.

-ENCL

COLOMBO ‒ The Attorney General’s Department has taken steps to name Namal Rajapaksa, Member of Parliament and eldest son on former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, as a suspect in an ongoing money laundering investigation involving financial irregularities in the procurement of Airbus aircraft for SriLankan Airlines.

The development comes amid a broader probe into alleged bribery and financial corruption linked to the national carrier’s aircraft acquisition deals.

The Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama has directed the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) to submit a comprehensive progress report by October 13, 2026. The order follows the submission of an interim report by CIABOC investigators requesting additional time to proceed with their inquiries.

The high-profile case has seen significant developments in recent months, with the primary suspect in the investigation, former SriLankan Airlines Chief Executive Officer Kapila Chandrasena, passing  away under mysterious circumstances.

Meanwhile, arrest warrants remain active for two other key figures in the case: Priyanka Niyomali Wijenayake, the second suspect and wife of the late CEO, and Shamindra Rajapaksa, the third suspect, a former board member of SriLankan Airlines and son of former Minister Chamal Rajapaksa.

Namal, the 40-year-old scion of the once-powerful Rajapaksa family, accused of receiving $800 000 linked to a 2013 Airbus deal, was arrested earlier this month, and has been remanded until September 18.

-ENCL

COLOMBO – The government is considering a revision of fuel prices at the end of September amid rising international fuel prices and the evolving situation in the Middle East, Minister of Energy, Ports and Civil Aviation, Anura Karunathilaka, said on Monday (14).

Speaking to journalists after an event in Colombo, the minister highlighted international fuel prices increases in recent days land said, while fuel continued to be sold at comparatively lower prices in Sri Lanka several private fuel distribution companies had raised concerns over the difficulties of continuing their operations under the prevailing conditions.

“We expect to discuss the matter with representatives of those companies and reach a solution,” Karunathilaka said, adding that several factors have contributed to the current challenges facing fuel distributors and the increase in global prices.

He said the government was considering several options, including possible market intervention, a fuel subsidy or the introduction of a pricing mechanism that more closely reflects costs.

While private fuel companies have submitted proposals regarding a possible price increase, Karunathilaka said the government would take into account the interests of consumers before reaching a final decision.

Fuel prices are generally reviewed at the end of each month, and the government will assess prevailing market conditions and consult relevant stakeholders before deciding on the next course of action at the end of September, he said, assuring the public that Sri Lanka had sufficient fuel stocks and that there was no risk of a fuel shortage.

He said the government would take the necessary measures to address the difficulties faced by fuel distribution companies while ensuring an uninterrupted supply of fuel to consumers.

-ENCL

By Jana Choukeir and Eman Abouhassira

TAIZ, Yemen/DUBAI ‒ Arab states in the Gulf called off a meeting with Iran planned for Monday (14), while Yemen’s Houthis launched a new attack on Saudi Arabia after fighting that has extended the Middle East war ​to another theatre and further jeopardized global oil supplies.

The Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen said they fired dozens of missiles and drones on Monday at a Saudi military ‌airbase in Khamis Mushait, near the border, hitting aircraft hangars, radar systems, runways and ammunition depots. They described the attack as retaliation for hundreds of Saudi airstrikes on Yemen in recent days.

Saudi authorities announced brief emergency alerts there and in three other southern cities which have previously come under Houthi fire.

The Houthis launched a lightning advance last week in Yemen, culminating in the seizure of an island in the mouth of the Red Sea on Friday (11). A separate ​attack that day, which Riyadh blamed on Iran-backed fighters in Iraq, knocked out Saudi Arabia’s east-west pipeline, the main route for Middle East oil bypassing the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.

Oil ​Prices Jump

Crude oil prices rose more than 3% on Monday, when the market reopened after the weekend, while the politically sensitive average retail price of diesel ⁠in the United States hit a new all-time high above $6.23 a gallon.

Traders say the closure of the Saudi pipeline could cut off as much as 4% of global oil supply unless it is reopened ​within days. Images from space show sections of the pipeline damaged by blazes. Riyadh has not given a firm estimate for how long it will be shut.

Oman had been due to host a meeting ​on Monday with Iran and Gulf states to discuss negotiations aimed at reopening Hormuz, the world’s most important oil shipping lane, largely closed since the US and Israel attacked Iran at the end of February.

But Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi announced overnight that the meeting had been postponed “in the interests of consensus”. Iran said the postponement was at the request of Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, Iran issued a list of 77 ships it said had violated its ​protocols for operating in the Strait of Hormuz. Any ship on the list would face “restrictions on future passages, including fines, detention, or confiscation”, and other ships that assisted them by accepting transfers of ​cargo would be added to the list.

Expansion of War to Yemen Poses Dilemma for Trump

The upsurge of fighting in Yemen poses a dilemma for Washington, which is under pressure to aid its Saudi allies but anxious not ‌to expand ⁠the costly war to a new theatre.

Saudi Arabia has led an Arab coalition battling the Houthis for more than a decade, after the mountain fighters captured Yemen’s capital in 2014. The war there had largely been quiet under a ceasefire for the past few years, but fighting has now resumed, with the Houthis driving back forces from a Saudi-backed government based in the south.

Thousands of Yemenis have fled inland from the coast to escape fighting as the Houthis swept into cities including the historic Red Sea port of Mocha last week.

Aisha Muhammad, an elderly woman burning twigs to heat a kettle in government-held territory ​near Taiz, told Reuters she had left behind ​two daughters and three sons who had ⁠been unable to escape.

“They can’t even go out to the market to get food and drinking water. They are being blocked and shot at, so they are trapped inside their homes,” she said. “They cannot reach us, and we cannot return to them. This is a trial from God.”

On Friday the ​Houthis captured Perim Island, inside the Bab el-Mandeb, the ‘Gate of Tears’ strait, at the mouth of the Red Sea.

US President Donald Trump is under ​pressure to end the war ⁠to relieve the global energy shortage and lower prices that are hurting the fortunes of his Republican Party ahead of mid-term elections in November.

Three sources have told Reuters that Washington has so far rebuffed pleas from Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to intervene in Yemen. Trump confirmed over the weekend that he had spoken to the prince, and said the Houthis had also phoned asking Washington to keep out ⁠of the dispute.

The ​United States bombed the Houthis in 2025 for two months, but Trump called off that campaign after reaching a ceasefire ​with the group, which he said had promised not to attack ships in the Red Sea.

Trump, who attended a golf tournament at one of his resorts in Ireland, said he expected the Iran war to end shortly after the elections in ​November, after which the price of oil would “drop like a rock”.

–Reuters

COLOMBO ‒ The United Nations in Sri Lanka has expressed shock and deep concern over the killing of two children in a grenade attack in Dehiwala, calling for those responsible to be swiftly brought to justice.

UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka Marc-André Franche said he was deeply saddened by the deaths of the two brothers in the attack.

In a post on X, Franche said: “The killing of two children in Dehiwala is deeply distressing. No child should ever be the victim of such heinous violence. Those responsible must be brought to justice and held accountable.”

He also extended his deepest condolences to the families of the children who lost their lives.

The attack took place at around 3.00 a.m. on Friday (11), when an unidentified assailant, who had reportedly arrived in a three-wheeler and hurled a hand grenade at a house on Sirisangabo Mawatha in Kawdana, Dehiwala.

Two brothers, aged 11 and 17, sustained critical injuries in the explosion and later succumbed to their injuries while receiving treatment at the Colombo South Teaching Hospital in Kalubowila. Their 55-year-old father was also injured in the attack.

Police have said preliminary investigations indicate that the attack may have targeted the wrong house.

Investigators suspect the incident may be linked to a dispute between organized criminal groups, although the exact motive remains under investigation.

Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the attack, while further investigations are continuing.

-ENCL

COLOMBO – The government is taking measures to mitigate the prevailing drought while preparing to conserve the anticipated heavy rainfall during the forthcoming northeast monsoon for agriculture, drinking water and wildlife, Environment Minister Dr Dammika Patabendi said.

Speaking to journalists after attending the opening of the four-day Green Climate Fund (GCF) Regional Dialogue for Eastern and Southern Asia in Colombo on Monday (14), the Minister said authorities were working to rehabilitate rivers and tanks to maximize water storage ahead of the expected rains.

The regional dialogue, being held from September 14 to 17, has brought together more than 120 delegates from 10 countries to discuss climate action and financing.

Noting that the Department of Meteorology had forecast increased rainfall from late September, with the possibility of above-average rainfall during October and November, Dr Patabendi said the government was also preparing to commence the forthcoming Maha cultivation season earlier than usual, with a meeting scheduled to be held in Kandy on September 18 to discuss preparations.

The recent rainfall associated with a low-pressure system, he said, had provided some relief, although authorities remained concerned about the impacts of the prevailing weather conditions.

Meanwhile, Blocks 1 and 2 of Yala National Park was temporarily closed to visitors effective Monday till  October 15 due to the severe drought, Dr Patabendi said, noting that campsites at Kumana National Park have also been temporarily closed, with the affected areas expected to reopen following the onset of rains, subject to prevailing conditions.

The minister said drinking water had been provided to approximately 186,000 families affected by water shortages across 36 Divisional Secretariat divisions in seven districts, adding that the daily allocation of drinking water had also been increased from six litres to 15 litres per person

Measures have also been taken to protect wildlife affected by water shortages, with water supplied to 113 tanks using water bowsers and solar-powered pumps.

Water is also being provided in several national parks, including Yala, Wilpattu, Kumana and Bundala, to prevent wildlife deaths caused by the drought.

Dr Patabendi said action was also being taken to remove illegal structures located within the coastal reservation, including structures within 10 metres of the shoreline along the stretch from Galle Face Green to the mouth of the Bolgoda River.

He said all structures obstructing public access to beaches or restricting the free movement of the public and tourists were being removed in accordance with the law and in consultation with the Attorney General’s Department.

Affected parties retain the right to seek legal remedies, he added, noting that the initiative was aimed at protecting public access to Sri Lanka’s coastline while supporting tourism and environmental conservation.

-ENCL

Demands immediate halt to any biometric data sharing

COLOMBO – People’s Struggle Alliance (PSA) activist Wasantha Mudalige has called on the government to immediately halt any move to transfer Sri Lankan citizens’ biometric data to India and disclose the full details of agreements signed between the two countries.

Addressing a media briefing at the PSA office on Sunday (13), Mudalige raised concerns over the collection of sensitive biometric information under Sri Lanka’s proposed digital identity program.

He said the government was taking steps to collect fingerprints, iris scans and facial-recognition data as part of the initiative to introduce digital identity cards for Sri Lankan citizens.

“We are not opposed to technology. However, we object to the government collecting and retaining people’s highly sensitive biometric data and allowing Indian companies to become involved in its management,” Mudalige said.

He argued that biometric information required greater safeguards than ordinary personal data, such as names, addresses and dates of birth, due to its unique and permanent nature.

According to Mudalige, such information could potentially be used for surveillance or to monitor and target individuals in the future.

He also questioned the involvement of Indian companies in developing and maintaining the system, arguing that Sri Lanka possessed sufficient local technology expertise to undertake the project.

Mudalige further called on the government to disclose the details of seven agreements reportedly signed during the recent visit of the Indian Prime Minister to Sri Lanka.

He alleged that responsibility for the digital identity project had been handed over to Indian companies following the conclusion of an earlier initiative implemented under the Department for Registration of Persons.

However, claims that Sri Lankan citizens’ biometric data has already been handed over to an Indian company have been disputed.

The government has previously maintained that Sri Lanka would retain control over and access to the biometric data collected under the project, while Indian entities would provide technical assistance.

The initiative, commonly referred to as the Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity (SL-UDI) project, is intended to establish a digital identity system incorporating biometric identifiers, including fingerprints, facial recognition and iris recognition. India has provided financial and technical assistance for the project.

Mudalige said the government had no mandate to provide Sri Lankan citizens’ sensitive biometric information to foreign companies and called for any potential transfer of such data to be immediately stopped.

Reiterating his demand for the government make public the full details of agreements entered into with India, Mudalige announced that the PSA would stage a protest outside the Indian High Commission in Colombo on Tuesday (15), demanding greater transparency and safeguards over the proposed digital identity program.

–ENCL

NEW DELHI ‒ India’s women refused to collect the Asia Cup trophy from Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi after the team won a record-extending eighth continental title.

India hammered Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the T20 final in Dubai on Sunday (13) but Harmanpreet Kaur’s side skipped the trophy presentation, repeating the stance of the men’s team last year.

On both occasions the trophy was supposed to have been handed over by Naqvi in his role as head of the Asian Cricket Council.

Naqvi is also Pakistan’s interior minister and head of the country’s cricket board.

There are long-running tensions between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan.

A year after beating Pakistan in the final, the men’s side have still not collected their trophy.

“That stand has been taken by BCCI (Indian cricket board), and we stand by it,” Indian women’s coach Amol Muzumdar told reporters.

“We are the champions, that’s good enough.”

Sunday’s presentation was delayed by nearly 50 minutes, after which Naqvi distributed medals to the runners-up before the ceremony ended abruptly.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and vice-president Rajeev Shukla were at the ground as India presented medals to their players themselves.

–AFP

By Ubaid Parkar

BUDAPEST – Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage continued his outstanding season by winning the men’s javelin throw title at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship 2026 with a 91.09m effort in Budapest on Sunday (13).

The 23-year-old Rumesh finished comfortably clear of Grenada’s two-time world champion Anderson Peters, who took second place with 86.18m. Germany’s Julian Weber completed the podium at the Gyula Zsivotzky National Athletics Centre with 85.89m.

Rumesh Tharanga did not have things his own way initially, opening with a modest 75.89m as Weber took the early lead with 84.09m. Peters moved ahead with an 86.18m effort in the second round, with Weber improving to 85.89m and Rumesh to 85.69m.

The Sri Lankan finally took control in the third round, moving into the lead with 87.11m before producing his best in the fourth and final round. His 91.09m effort put the contest beyond reach, with Peters finishing almost five metres behind in second.

“My first throw was in the 75m range,” Rumesh told Olympics.com. “I was under a lot of pressure after that because after the first few throws, low-scoring competitors get eliminated. Ultimately, I was able to secure the trophy I hoped for.”

Reigning world champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago finished fourth with 82.41m, ahead of Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem, whose 81.49m effort was a season best.

Kenya’s Julius Yego (80.23m), Poland’s Dawid Wegner (77.21m) and the USA’s Curtis Thompson (75.80m) completed the eight-man field.

Rumesh Tharanga had arrived in Budapest as the world leader and favourite after establishing himself as the standout men’s javelin thrower of the season. His 92.62m national record in Rome in June remains the world-leading mark for 2026.

Sunday’s 91.09m was his third competition this year with a throw beyond 90m, having also produced 92.07m to win the Zurich Diamond League last month.

For Arshad Nadeem, the 81.49m season best represented an improvement after a difficult campaign. The Paris 2024 champion, whose 92.97m Olympic record remains his personal best, had finished ninth at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year.

India’s Neeraj Chopra did not compete in Budapest.

The World Athletics Ultimate Championship is a new global competition launched in 2026 as a season-ending showcase bringing together Olympic champions, world champions, Diamond League winners and the year’s leading athletes.

To be held every two years, the inaugural edition in Budapest features 28 events across three days in a compact format, with field events going straight to the final.

Rumesh Tharanga’s latest victory adds another major prize to a remarkable 2026 campaign. He won the Commonwealth Games title and dominated the Diamond League circuit with victories in Rome, Doha, Lausanne and Zurich before becoming the first Sri Lankan to win the Diamond League Final.

– olympics.com

By Mohammed Ghobari and Nayera Abdallah

ADEN/DUBAI – New strikes on Saudi Arabia and on ships in the Gulf tested nerves in the Middle East on Sunday (13), after an attack on a Saudi oil pipeline and an advance by Yemen’s Houthis threatened ​to worsen the wartime disruption to global energy supplies.

Oil traders were expecting prices to rise again when markets reopen on Monday (14), following the weekend developments that jeopardize supplies from the world’s biggest exporter, Saudi ‌Arabia.

In the latest incidents in the Gulf, the British maritime security agency UKMTO said on Sunday that a vessel had been struck by a projectile as it moved through the Strait of Hormuz, causing a fire and forcing the crew to be evacuated. Iran, for its part, said one person was killed and four crew wounded aboard an Iranian commercial vessel struck off its coast.

In Saudi Arabia, state media released video of damage to homes and a mosque from the purported latest cross-border attack by the Houthis, in Jazan province in the ​south. The Houthis claimed separately to have struck a Saudi military base in a neighbouring province.

Southern Saudi cities have experienced regular alerts since last week, culminating in drone strikes on Friday (11) that knocked out the 1,200-km (745-mile) ​east-west pipeline across the Arabian Peninsula that has served as the main route for global supplies of Middle East oil bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.

That same day, the Houthis captured ⁠Perim Island, which lies in the middle of the Bab El-Mandeb, the ‘Gate of Tears’ strait that controls the mouth of the Red Sea.

US Diesel Hits Another Record

Oil prices surged above $100 last week for the first time since July. The politically ​sensitive retail price of diesel fuel in the United States rose on Sunday to another all-time high above $6.20 a gallon.

Traders and Saudi oil buyers told Reuters on Sunday that Riyadh has enough oil stored at its Red Sea port of ​Yanbu to maintain exports for just five to seven days if the pipeline struck on Friday remains shut.

After that, as much as 4% of global oil supply could be jeopardized, on top of the millions of barrels a day already lost to the disruption to traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Saudi Arabia has not given full details of the extent of damage to the pipeline or said how long it will remain offline. Sources that spoke to Reuters have given conflicting estimates for the time needed to fix it, ranging from days ​to weeks. Satellite images have shown huge columns of smoke from locations along the pipeline.

Iran to Meet Neighbours at Talks in Oman

After a month of quiet in August when flows of Middle East oil trickled back up, the past two ​weeks have seen a steady escalation in the war that the United States and Israel launched six months ago. No talks to end the war have been held since an interim agreement in June collapsed after a few weeks.

In a rare diplomatic initiative, ‌Iranian officials say ⁠they will be attending a meeting on Monday with Gulf Arab states in Oman to present an agreement they say has been reached with Oman governing future shipping routes through the strait.

But few details have been released. Oman has not publicly announced the meeting or confirmed any agreement, and most Gulf states have remained silent. Iraq said it would send a delegation. Bahrain said it would not meet with any Iranians.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Saturday the meeting would discuss Hormuz and other issues, but would probably not yield a signed agreement to reopen the strait.

In an interview with London-based pan-Arab news outlet Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said despite any agreement with Oman, Iran would not ​reopen the strait until the United States satisfies Tehran’s demands.

Houthi ​Advances Pose New Dilemma for Washington

The US has so ⁠far failed to achieve the objectives President Donald Trump set out when he launched ‘Operation Epic Fury’ in February: to end Iran’s nuclear program, prevent it from being able to attack its neighbours and create conditions for its people to topple their rulers.

Iran, having withstood the superpower onslaught despite military and economic losses, hopes to emerge stronger than before the war, ​including with the newfound power to collect fees from ships that use the strait.

The attacks on Saudi Arabia and the Houthi advances in Yemen pose a new dilemma for ​Washington, which wants to support ⁠its Saudi allies and protect shipping but is wary of joining war on another front.

The Houthis, mountain fighters who captured Yemen’s capital in 2014, have been battling a Saudi-led coalition for more than a decade but had mostly kept out of the wider Middle East war until recent weeks. Their advance along the Red Sea coast is part of the biggest eruption of fighting in Yemen for years.

The United States bombed the Houthis for two months in 2025, but Trump halted that campaign after announcing ⁠the group had ​lifted a threat to attack Red Sea shipping.

Three sources told Reuters that Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, phoned Trump ​on Thursday (10) asking for military aid to fight the Houthis, but was offered only intelligence support for now.

Trump acknowledged on Saturday that he had spoken to the crown prince, and said the Houthis had also phoned the US administration, asking Washington to keep out of the Yemen war.

–Reuters