EXCLUSIVE: US expands intel, targeting support for Saudi campaign against Iranian ally

Key Points:

• Over 100 US military advisers are currently in Saudi Arabia providing intelligence and targeting support to assist the Kingdom in its military campaign against Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, with the total US troop presence estimated at around 200.
• The US support is focused on intelligence sharing and ensuring Saudi operations run smoothly, without direct participation in strikes, refueling of Saudi warplanes, or other operational involvement, marking a more limited role compared to past US engagements.
• The deployment comes amid intensified fighting in Yemen, including recent Houthi advances such as seizing a strategic Red Sea port and launching deadly missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, raising concerns over the security of the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, a vital shipping corridor.
• US officials are wary of deep involvement due to past controversies over civilian casualties linked to US-supported Saudi strikes, and the US military remains stretched thin by ongoing operations related to Iran, especially around the Strait of Hormuz.
• Intelligence indicates hundreds of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps officers are in Yemen aiding the Houthis, with concerns that Iran aims to disrupt key maritime routes, which has heightened US and Saudi concerns about the conflict escalating into a broader regional war.