“It’s hard to look at the last year and see anything other than a deliberate slowdown of these grants.”

The Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen has seized on a vulnerable moment for neighboring Saudi Arabia, which does not want another war. The group hopes to force political concessions in Yemen that could give it more authority and more access to resources.

A Times examination details how the Silicon Valley giant used private talks with local officials to start a project big enough to cover nearly six square miles.