Pentagon chief asks for deeper military involvement in Yemen

‘Defense Secretary James Mattis has asked the White House to remove restrictions on US military support for Saudi Arabia and its allies engaged in a military offensive against Yemen that has caused significant civilian casualties, according to a report.
In a memo submitted to National Security Adviser Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster this month, Mattis suggested that “limited support” for the Saudi-led war would help counter a “common threat,” the Washington Post reported on Sunday , citing senior US officials.
If approved, the request would mark a significant increase in US military involvement in Yemen, which until now has been largely restricted to counterterrorism operations against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and indirect backing for the Saudi-led coalition.
The immediate question in the Pentagon chief’s memo, which will be debated by President Donald Trump’s national security team this week, is whether to provide support for a planned operation by the United Arab Emirates to take the key Red Sea port of Hudaydah.’
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