September 22nd, 2026: Trump Calls Off Major Attack Against The Houthis & Chinese Ships Near Alaska
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What did President Trump consider before calling off a major strike on Yemen’s Houthis?
Just about
it
It's Tuesday, the twenty-second of September. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, President Trump reportedly came within minutes of ordering U.S. strikes on Yemen's Houthis before calling the operation off as their offensive toward the Babul Mandem continues. Later in the show, Chinese re- Research vessels are operating near Alaska, and the Coast Guard says that it's watching closely over concerns about what Beijing may be up to. Plus, well the suspense is over. Wait, no, uh sorry, there there was no suspense. To the surprise of absolutely no one, Putin's ruling party has tightened its grip on Russia's parliament, securing another commanding majority after three days of voting.
Which isn't hard to do when there's no opposition to speak of. And in today's back of the brief, Washington wants a new hotline of sorts with Beijing, this time for national security incidents involving artificial intelligence. But first, today's PDP spotlight. President Trump reportedly came within minutes of opening another front of the Middle East this weekend. Targets had been selected by the Pentagon. American aircraft were being prepared for a wave of strikes against Yemet's Houtis. And according to a New York Times report cited by Reuters, bombs were already being loaded onto some of those aircraft when then suddenly President Trump called the operation off. The strikes never happened.
Why did the U.S. decide not to launch the planned airstrikes against the Houthis?
But the fact that they came to the Came that close tells you just how quickly the situation in Yemen is changing, and how concerned Saudi Arabia has become about a Houthi offensive now threatening one of the world's most important shipping routes. Does that sound familiar? Saudi Arabia had been pressing Washington for help as Houthi forces made a rapid advance along Yemen's Red Sea coast and toward the Baba Mandeb Strait. That's the narrow waterway connecting the Red Sea with the to the Gulf of Aden. Axios reports a Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman had first asked Trump for American military intervention roughly ten days ago. Trump initially declined, as we've reported here on the PDB, although Washington agreed to continue providing intelligence and targeting assistance.
The Saudis' own efforts to halt the offensive have been struggling, and a counterattack by Saudi backed Yemen forces had reportedly been delayed several times. CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper then prepared strike options that were presented to the Defense Secretary over the weekend. President Trump considered them and ultimately then decided not to proceed. Yemen's internationally recognized president, Rashad al Alimi, also spoke with Trump on Sunday and sought American support against the Houthis. Reuters reports that Trump discussed the situation with him, but made no pledge to send U.S. forces into the fight. A lightning offensive this month has brought the Iranian-backed Houtis forces into key areas around the Babal Mandeb Strait, and now they're working to seize the strategic high ground behind those coastal gains.
Fighting today was focused around the Kabub Mountains in Yemen's Taiz and Lahizh provinces. The geography here is important, and the basic military logic is relatively simple. The Houtis took key positions along the coast. Now they want the mountains behind them. If they secure that high ground, well, it becomes much harder for Saudi backed forces to push them back, and much easier for the Houthis to protect their new positions around the Red Sea. And as an aside, much easier to target and disrupt commercial shipping. As we've discussed here on the PDB, the Baba Mandeb is one of the world's critical maritime waterways. Saudi Arabia relies. On its Western Red Sea infrastructure as an alternative route for oil exports when the Strait of Hormuz is threatened.
And as you may have heard, the Strait of Hormuz is indeed threatened. It's under pressure because of the war, of course, with Iran. Now, an Iranian backed force is at the same time as the Strait of Hormuz is under pressure, gaining leverage around the other major shipping route on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What did President Trump consider before calling off a major strike on Yemen’s Houthis?
0:00–1:44
2
Why did the U.S. decide not to launch the planned airstrikes against the Houthis?
1:44–5:30
3
How are the Houthis’ advances around the Bab el‑Mandeb Strait affecting global shipping?
5:30–8:15
4
What is the U.S. Coast Guard’s concern about Chinese research vessels near Alaska?
8:15–11:47
5
Why does Washington view China’s Arctic missions as a potential military threat?
11:47–15:01
6
How did United Russia secure a dominant majority in Russia’s parliamentary election?
15:01–18:52
7
What is the proposed AI‑incident “hotline” between the United States and China?
18:52–21:51
8
What are the key takeaways and next steps from today’s President’s Daily Brief?
21:51–22:34
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from The President's Daily Brief
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