According to Israel's Channel 14, a Saudi royal source stated that on November 3rd, when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited his ailing father, King Salman, the king instructed him to maintain a hardline stance against the Houthis and to be wary of any attempts by Tehran to ease tensions. The source said that the Crown Prince subsequently became more confident in his decision-making. As a result, Riyadh refused to pay the Houthis $51 billion, a significant portion of which was originally intended for Iran.