U.S. expands support for Saudi Arabia amid escalating Houthi conflict

The United States has expanded the sharing of intelligence with Saudi Arabia and increased its military support for the kingdom.

According to foreign media , more than 100 American military advisers are currently working in Saudi Arabia amid growing tensions with the Houthis in Yemen.

A U.S. administration official said that approximately 200 American military personnel are currently stationed in the country.

The U.S. military personnel are reportedly not directly involved in strikes and are not assisting in refueling Saudi military aircraft.

The presence of US troops assisting Saudi Arabia was described to CNN by five sources familiar with the operations.

The US has helped Saudi Arabia use a targeting tool that allows military officers to see in real-time what is happening on the battlefield, one US official told CNN, comparing it to the Maven system used by the Pentagon. Another source familiar with ongoing cooperation between the two countries also said that the US is providing "geospatial" targeting support to Saudi Arabia for strikes against the Houthis.

Image: Media Centre Of The Yemeni Armed Forces via Reuters