Surprise U.S. Decision: Full Withdrawal from the Yemen File
NYN | Reports and Analyses
In a sudden move, the United States has decided to end its direct involvement in the Yemen file, after years of military and political intervention that failed to achieve its declared goals and contributed to deepening the humanitarian crisis endured by millions of Yemenis. Observers have described the step as an official acknowledgment of the failure of the U.S. strategy in Yemen.
According to American reports, President Donald Trump’s administration has permanently closed the office of the U.S. Special Envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking, and terminated his team’s duties. This follows earlier measures that reduced his authority and reassigned him as an assistant within the State Department — a clear indication of declining American political interest in the issue.
This decision coincided with diplomatic messages leaked by Washington to its Gulf allies, especially Saudi Arabia, suggesting that the Yemen file has become a “Gulf matter.” The move is seen as an American attempt to preserve strategic interests from a distance, without direct engagement — despite growing recognition in Washington that Yemen has already moved beyond the sphere of Gulf influence.
Prior to this shift, the U.S. had escalated militarily in Yemen earlier this year through an air and naval campaign that lasted nearly two months.
However, the campaign ended with the withdrawal of the USS Truman aircraft carrier from the Red Sea after it was targeted by dozens of attacks, resulting in the downing of two F-18 fighter jets and the destruction of a large number of MQ-9 drones, according to intersecting security and media reports.
These battlefield developments reportedly compelled Washington to seek mediation through the Sultanate of Oman, which led undisclosed negotiations with the Sanaa government. The talks culminated in a tacit agreement to halt hostilities, in exchange for the U.S. abandoning protection of Israeli navigation in the Red Sea and backing down from any direct escalation against Sanaa’s forces.
This withdrawal not only reveals a military failure, but also exposes a political predicament faced by Washington, amid mounting human rights criticisms of the war’s consequences and the continued absence of a clear strategic vision to resolve a conflict that has dragged on for over a decade.
