President Donald Trump said Saturday he is weighing whether the United States will join Saudi Arabia in striking Yemen's Houthi rebels, after Houthi missiles struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on two consecutive days, killing at least 14 people and wounding more than 300, Saudi officials said.
Two days of strikes on Riyadh's airport
Saturday's missile strike hit a passenger terminal at the airport on the afternoon of October 10, killing at least 13 people and wounding more than 300, some critically, according to Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority. The dead included four Saudi citizens, an American, two Bangladeshi nationals, and citizens of Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Syria and Sudan. An Indian national died Sunday of injuries sustained in the attack, India's embassy confirmed.
On Sunday, an unidentified projectile struck terminals 3 and 4, which serve domestic flights, killing one person, reported to be a Pakistani national, and injuring 11. The Saudi-led coalition said air defenses intercepted and destroyed a cruise missile near the airport. Operations at the airport were suspended, schools moved classes online, and the closure was extended, according to flight trackers.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for a series of strikes on Saudi airports and energy facilities, including King Khalid International Airport, King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, and facilities in the kingdom's Eastern Province. Saudi Aramco did not comment. The group's military spokesman warned airlines, airport staff and travelers to avoid Saudi airports and airspace, calling them "a theatre of operations."
Trump weighs a US military role
"We may. We're going to look at it," Trump told reporters Saturday when asked whether the United States would join Saudi retaliatory strikes against the Houthis. "We just found out about the recent attack, so we'll make a decision. We move very quickly."
Trump added that he plans to speak with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. "The Saudis are good fighters, but I think the attack was a terrible thing," he said, noting that Washington maintains communication with the Houthis.
The consideration marks a potential reversal. The United States had agreed a ceasefire with the Houthis after a month-long bombing campaign, and Washington had until now declined to join the fight, despite the rebels' renewed campaign. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the airport attack and said the United States stands with Saudi Arabia.
Regional escalation and diplomacy
The airport strikes are the sharpest escalation yet in a new front of fighting that reignited after Houthi forces seized the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, prompting a Saudi-led coalition counteroffensive. The strait is a key shipping lane through which Saudi Arabia reroutes millions of barrels of oil a day.
Saudi Arabia has sought support from allies: Turkey and Pakistan are set to send troops to support the kingdom, and the country has leaned on a defense pact signed this year, The Times reported. The United States has already sent military and intelligence personnel to assist with targeting.
Amid the escalation, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held a phone call Sunday with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi to discuss the regional escalation and de-escalation efforts, Saudi state media reported. Iran's foreign minister said Tehran was ready to help facilitate dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Britain's Foreign Office advised citizens against travel to Jeddah, Dammam and Saudi airports, while the U.S. Embassy warned travelers of possible flight disruptions.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Volatile Reaction (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
The takeaway
With one of the world's busiest airports shuttered and Riyadh under fire for a second day, the question is no longer whether Saudi Arabia will respond but whether Washington joins the fight. A U.S. decision to strike the Houthis would turn a Saudi-Yemeni escalation into a direct U.S.-Iran confrontation, while diplomacy — including a rare Saudi-Iranian call — offers the only off-ramp currently visible.
Sources: The Times; Reuters; New York Post; Reuters via TBS News.