WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump told reporters on Saturday that the United States “may” participate in Saudi Arabia’s military strikes against the Iran-backed Houthi militia, following a series of attacks on airports in Saudi Arabia that have killed at least six people. The comments were made during a press briefing on the White House South Lawn.
The U.S. president’s remarks came shortly after a missile struck the complex housing Terminals 3 and 4 at King Khalid International Airport (KKIA) in Riyadh, the kingdom’s second-busiest airport. The strike caused dozens of injuries and prompted a near-complete shutdown of air traffic into and out of the capital. While the Houthis claimed responsibility for attacks on the facility earlier in the week, they had not immediately claimed the latest strike as of Saturday evening.
Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen, stated on Friday that the attacks “will not go unpunished.” The weekend strike is the latest in a cluster of attacks over the past week, which began just days after Yemen’s Saudi-backed government announced a major offensive against the militia on Oct. 4.
Earlier strikes included two incidents on Tuesday and Wednesday, though details have remained sparse. A strike on Abha International Airport killed two women, one Algerian and one Moroccan. An attack on KKIA the same day left one Sudanese man dead, according to the country’s civil aviation authorities. On Thursday, the Houthis said they again targeted KKIA, killing three Saudi citizens, including a pilot. Victims of the past week’s strikes have primarily been Saudi nationals but also included individuals from Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Morocco, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Sudan.
Houthi attacks on airports have become a signature tactic of the militia. In 2019, a similar strike on Abha was denounced by Human Rights Watch as an apparent war crime. Brigadier General Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesperson, reiterated on Thursday a warning for international airlines and passengers to avoid airspace over Saudi Arabia, which was declared an open military operations zone on Monday. He also advised employees to avoid Saudi oil facilities, citing them as primary targets.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation announced that Riyadh suspended operations at its main airport on Saturday while assessing the damage. Flight tracking data showed 400 cancellations at KKIA by 11 p.m. local time. Additionally, the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh issued a security alert on Saturday, urging Americans to avoid KKIA and its surrounding areas. The embassy warned of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions, recommending that citizens check directly with airlines and the airport for departure status.
The escalation follows months of deteriorating conditions for air travel and shipping. In July, the Houthis accused Saudi forces of bombing Sanaa International Airport. Yemen’s Saudi-backed government claimed responsibility, stating it sought to prevent an Iranian plane from landing. In response, the Houthis threatened a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia.
Last month, the militia captured the port city of Mokha and Perim Island, aiming to control the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. With shipping through the Strait of Hormuz already disrupted by the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, threats to the Bab el-Mandeb route risk deepening the global oil crisis. While Saudi-backed forces have claimed to retake both locations in recent weeks, those claims remain unverified and control is still disputed.
In September, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged Trump to take action against the Houthis as the militia gained ground over vital Red Sea chokepoints. Despite being allies, Washington previously indicated it had no plans to intervene in the conflict. TIME has reached out to the White House for comment as the situation develops.
Trump’s renewed consideration of strikes in Yemen comes as the war with Iran faces significant domestic opposition. According to an AP-NORC poll conducted on Oct. 1, 69% of Americans said the war had not been worth fighting. On Thursday, Trump pledged that the U.S. would not attack Iran before the Nov. 3 midterms, a commitment that does not explicitly cover potential strikes on the Houthis in Yemen.
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