Yemeni forces target Houthis and a Saudi base as US rules out direct role

Saudi Arabia requests missile defence support from allies as the US sees its own stock of interceptors dwindle.The United States reiterated its support for Yemen’s internationally recognised government on Wednesday as fighting intensified between the Saudi-led coalition and Houthi forces. US officials also held direct talks with Houthi representatives in Oman last weekend, according to sources cited by Reuters.Yemeni government forces said that the coalition had struck Houthi positions around Mocha and that government forces had launched drone attacks in Marib. The Houthis claimed to have shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Marib.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Saudi-led coalition intercepts Houthi drone headed for Meccalist 2 of 3Taiz camps overflow with Yemenis fleeing fighting after Houthi offensivelist 3 of 3Djibouti calls for assistance as thousands of Yemenis flee to countryend of listUS offers diplomatic supportSaudi Arabia is running low on missile interceptors and has asked regional and Western allies for help, according to two officials who spoke to The Associated Press news agency. The Saudis asked France, Pakistan, Egypt and the United Kingdom to deploy air-defence support to help defend against attacks by the Houthis. One official said Saudi Arabia’s main ally and arms supplier, the US, has seen its own stock of interceptors dwindle over the course of the war with Iran.US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesman Tim Hawkins told Al Jazeera that the US is “closely monitoring” the situation between Houthis and the Saudi-backed government in Yemen, adding that the US military has a longstanding “military relationship with our Saudi partners, and you see that manifesting today”.Even as Washington assists the Saudi campaign, American officials held direct talks with Houthi representatives in Oman last weekend, according to three sources who spoke to the Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity. The meeting took place at the US embassy in Muscat with the assistance of the Omani government, two of the sources said.