America secretly deployed ground troops to the Yemen border last year
Last December, about a dozen U.S. Army Green Berets were deployed to Saudi Arabia's border with Yemen, a previously unreported "escalation of Western assistance to target Houthi fighters who are deep in Yemen," The New York Times reports.
Yemen has been embroiled in civil war since 2014, when the Houthi rebels — Shiite Muslims who are aligned with Iran — overthrew President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, an American counterterrorism ally. Saudi Arabia, another regional ally of the U.S. and a Sunni-majority country, led a military coalition that began bombing the Houthis in 2015; the rebels responded by firing missiles at Riyadh and other cities in the kingdom. "Yet there is no evidence that the Houthis directly threaten the United States," the Times adds, calling the rebels "an unsophisticated militant group with no operations outside Yemen." The organization has not even been classified as a terrorist group by America, making the escalation of U.S. special forces on the border noteworthy.
Officials who spoke with the Times said the American troops are training Saudi forces as well as assisting in surveillance with planes and other equipment. The goal appears to be locating and destroying missiles and launch sites used by Houthi rebels to target Saudi cities, and there is no evidence that the Americans have crossed into Yemen for secret missions. Read more about the conflict — and catastrophe — in Yemen at The Week.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Ecuador's cloud forest has legal rights – and maybe a song credit
Under the Radar In a world first, 'rights of nature' project petitions copyright office to recognise Los Cedros forest as song co-creator
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Today's political cartoons - November 3, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - presidential pitching, wavering convictions, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Why Man United finally lost patience with ten Hag
Talking Point After another loss United sacked ten Hag in hopes of success in the Champion's League
By The Week UK Published
-
British warship repels 'largest Houthi attack to date' in the Red Sea
Speed read Western allies warn of military response to Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels if attacks on ships continue
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Houthi rebels claim Red Sea ship attacks
speed read Iran-backed Yemeni group vows to escalate aggression towards Israel-linked vessels in revenge for Gaza war
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Israel plans next phase of Gaza war as first hostages released
Speed read After four-day ceasefire 'we will not stop' until destruction of Hamas, says Israel
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Mob storms Russian airport 'looking for Jews'
Speed Read Plane from Israel surrounded by rioters chanting antisemitic slogans after landing in Russia's Dagestan region
By The Week UK Published
-
Tuberville's military promotions block is upending lives, combat readiness, 3 military branch chiefs say
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Ukraine's counteroffensive is making incremental gains. Does it matter in the broader war?
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
US commissions first-ever Navy ship in a foreign port
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
British spy chief, Wagner video suggest Prigozhin is alive and freely 'floating around'
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published