WASHINGTON, October 3. /TASS/. Saudi Arabia and Yemeni government forces are planning a "major counteroffensive" against the Houthi rebel Ansar Allah movement, but the United States is not yet prepared to participate, Axios reported, citing sources.

According to the portal, the United States has rebuffed a Saudi request to join the operation and conduct airstrikes against Houthi positions for the second time in recent weeks. An unnamed US official stressed that this "could change if the operation runs into problems." Axios also reported that last week, US President Donald Trump "was close" to ordering a strike on the Houthis but ultimately "decided to hold off." US Central Command opposed direct involvement in the conflict.

The news outlet also said Saudi Arabia had been developing the military plan for several weeks and that the country’s leadership approved it several days ago. Another official said the United States was helping Saudi Arabia with "everything short of direct combat," mainly by providing intelligence and targeting data. The official noted that Washington had provided Riyadh with more than 200 Houthi targets to strike.

An armed confrontation between the Houthis and government forces backed by Saudi Arabia has continued in Yemen since August 2014. In July, the rebels declared a naval blockade of the kingdom and subsequently attacked several Saudi-owned oil tankers. Ansar Allah launched an offensive in southwestern Yemen in early August and seized the port city of Mokha and territories providing access to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on September 10-11.