More than 100 U.S. military advisers have arrived in Saudi Arabia to help the kingdom as part of its military campaign against the Houthis in Yemen. The total number of U.S. personnel in the country is about 200, CNN reports, citing U.S. officials, writes UNN.
Details
U.S. military personnel are working as part of a joint forces command formed amid signs of increased Iranian support for the Houthis.
According to U.S. estimates, hundreds of officers from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are in Yemen, where they are cooperating with the Houthis. One U.S. official suggested that the ultimate goal of Tehran and the Houthis may be to block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
How the U.S. is helping Saudi Arabia
According to CNN, Washington has helped Riyadh use a system that enables real-time monitoring of the battlefield situation. The U.S. is also providing geospatial data to help select targets during Saudi strikes against the Houthis.
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At the same time, U.S. military personnel are not directly participating in the strikes. The U.S. exchanges intelligence with Saudi Arabia, but does not refuel Saudi fighter jets or provide other operational support that Washington supplied during previous military operations against the Houthis.
According to CNN sources, current U.S. assistance is focused primarily on coordinating Saudi Arabia’s operations and improving their effectiveness.
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