US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has issued a strong condemnation of recent Houthi strikes against Saudi Arabia, declaring that the attacks “must stop now.” The statement follows a Saturday assault on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh that resulted in at least 12 deaths and injured 309 others.
Rubio described the incident as demonstrating a “blatant disregard for innocent civilian life” and confirmed that one of the casualties was an American citizen. In response to the escalating violence, President Donald Trump indicated that the United States may join Saudi Arabia in attacking Houthi targets and could also consider military action against Iran.
The Saudi Civil Aviation Authority reported the casualty figures from the airport strike, while Yemen’s internationally recognised government forces claimed they conducted over 1,900 targeting operations in the preceding 24 hours.
Tensions in the region have also flared in maritime routes. The UK Maritime Trade Operations reported that a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, causing a fire on board. Concurrently, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that a supertanker exploded after hitting a mine in what it described as an unauthorized route.
In light of the security threats, governments including the US, UK, Germany, Spain, and Canada have advised their citizens to avoid using the Riyadh airport. The ongoing conflict, involving US and Israeli operations against Iran, continues to impact regions across the Middle East, including Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon.
Leave a Reply