President Trump warned [1] that the United States may join Saudi Arabia in retaliatory attacks against the Houthis after the terror group backed by Iran carried out the deadliest attack on Riyadh and threatened additional attacks involving civilian areas.
The Saturday attack on King Khalid International Airport killed 12 people, including one American, and injured more than 300. It immediately raised the prospect of a wider conflict involving the United States, Saudi Arabia, Iran and its proxies.
A Houthi spokesperson warned over the weekend that airports have become “a theatre of operations for our forces” and urged “everyone to take our warnings seriously.” The spokesperson also accused the Saudis of bearing “responsibility for any failed interceptions.”
Trump had seemingly held back from attacking the group based in Yemen because the Houthis had adhered to their side of a May ceasefire. Under that agreement, the group committed not to attack vessels in the Red Sea.
The president also had a broader desire to avoid becoming entangled in a complicated conflict that began before the Iran war. The deadly airport attack, however, prompted fresh questions about possible American military involvement.
“We may. We’re going to look at it,” Trump told reporters Saturday when asked whether the United States could participate in attacks against the Houthis.
“We just found out about the recent attack, so we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly,” Trump said.
Trump also delivered a blunt assessment of the assault. “I think it’s terrible,” he said.
“The Saudis are good fighters, but I think the attack was a terrible thing. We have communication with the Houthis, and we’ll see what happens. But what they did was very bad,” Trump added.
Any American participation in Saudi retaliation following the bloody strike at King Khalid International Airport could significantly widen the ongoing Middle East conflict involving Iran and its proxies. Trump has not announced a final decision.
UPDATE: A Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia’s airport killed at least 12 people, including one American, and wounded more than 300.
It’s the third attack on that airport in a week and the deadliest in any Gulf country since the Iran War began.
The Houthis are an Iranian proxy, armed by Iran’s Quds Force since 2015, and they share the IRGC’s slogan: “Death to America, death to Israel.”
Hitting an airport is aimed at maximizing civilian suffering. They are also reaching for control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Trump says he’ll decide quickly whether to respond. Rubio and Trump have both said Iran is behind every Houthi attack.
An American was killed. That cannot go unanswered.
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) October 11, 2026 [2]
The 12 people killed included an American, a Palestinian, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Syrian, a Sudanese and two Bangladeshi nationals. The attack drew widespread international condemnation of the Houthis.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the group and voiced American support for Saudi Arabia. “The United States strongly condemns the recent attacks on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by the terrorist Houthis,” Rubio said Saturday.
“These reprehensible attacks demonstrate a blatant disregard for innocent civilian life. They must stop now,” Rubio added. “We stand with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its people and extend our condolences to the victims and their families.”
The United States strongly condemns the recent attacks on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by the terrorist Houthis, including today’s strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh that took numerous innocent lives, including an American citizen.
These reprehensible attacks demonstrate a blatant disregard for innocent civilian life. They must stop now.
We stand with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its people and extend our condolences to the victims and their families.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) October 10, 2026 [3]
Tensions between Saudi Arabia, a nation of 35 million people, and the Houthis have escalated rapidly in recent weeks. Riyadh allegedly intercepted a Houthi drone near the Islamic holy city of Mecca last month, outraging the Muslim world.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has reportedly pressed Trump to authorize military action against the Houthis. The United States previously conducted military action against the group between March and May of this year.
Saudi Arabia has already launched two airstrikes against Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, in retaliation, according to claims by the Houthis. Those strikes added another dangerous layer to the confrontation.
The Health Ministry operated by the Houthis has claimed that approximately 91 Yemenis have been killed and 168 injured during attacks by the coalition led by Saudi Arabia over the past five weeks or so.
The conflict between Riyadh and the Houthis largely grew from Yemen’s civil war. Saudi Arabia, Yemen’s southern neighbor, has long supported the internationally recognized Yemeni government, which is predominantly Sunni Muslim.
Iran has backed the Houthis, who are Shia Muslims and seized Sanaa in 2014. Saudi Arabia intervened militarily one year later in an effort to restore the internationally recognized Yemeni government to power.
Fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis has continued on and off ever since. The airport attack and Trump’s warning now leave open the possibility that American forces could again enter the fight.