Trump visits US base in Qatar used to attack Iran-backed Houthis

US President Donald Trump visited al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Thursday, a critical military installation that has served as a major staging ground for US operations in the Middle East, including recent air strikes against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The base currently houses approximately 8,000 personnel, down from around 10,000 troops during the height of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

He added that Qatar will invest $10 billion in coming years in the base, southwest of the country's capital Doha.

Days before a surprise US ceasefire agreement with Houthis earlier in the month, US intelligence started picking up indications the Yemeni fighters were looking for an exit after seven weeks of relentless US bombings, Reuters reported citing four American officials.

Houthi leaders began reaching out sometime around the first weekend in May to US allies in the Middle East, two of the officials said.

"We started getting intel that the Houthis had had enough," one of the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity to recount the internal discussions about the intelligence.

Two sources said Iran played an important role in encouraging the Houthis to negotiate, as Tehran pursues its own talks aimed at ending US sanctions and preventing a military strike by the US or Israel.