President Donald Trump said Friday he is evaluating whether the United States should join Saudi strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen after fresh attacks on Riyadh.
'We may. We’re going to look at it,' Trump told reporters. 'We just found out about the recent attack. So we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly.'
The latest strike hit a complex housing terminals 3 and 4 for domestic flights at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, according to regional officials cited by the AP. They said many people were wounded. Saudi civil aviation authorities said operations at the airport had been suspended while damage and injuries were assessed.
At least 225 flights at the Riyadh airport were canceled over the past 24 hours, according to FlightAware. Air India, FlyDubai, Lufthansa Group and Pakistan International Airlines have suspended flights to and from Riyadh and other Saudi airports for the next few days. Countries including the United States, Britain, Germany, Australia and Canada warned citizens to avoid the airport.
The Houthis have claimed this week’s attacks on the airport as well as other Saudi airports, military facilities and oil infrastructure. There was no immediate Houthi statement Saturday on the latest strike. The surge in attacks came in the week after a Saudi-led coalition launched a major military offensive against the Houthis.
The attacks have rattled markets and the region. Saudi Arabia is the world’s top oil exporter, and the kingdom has asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt to deploy air defense support, regional officials told the AP last month. Those officials said U.S. assistance has included intelligence sharing, target identification and planning for the latest offensive.
Fighting in Yemen has escalated as Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces try to reverse recent Houthi gains along the Red Sea. The rebels’ gains gave them better surveillance of shipping on a corridor that is a crucial alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has been attacking ships.
The numbers come first. When airport operations halt, flights cancel and oil infrastructure comes under fire, capital does not wait for political speeches. It prices risk immediately.
Power leaves a paper trail, and this one is visible in grounded aircraft, strained air defenses and a region asking for more support. For markets, the lesson is simple: security is not abstract. It is part of the cost of doing business, and the taxpayer often ends up underwriting the gaps when the state runs short on leverage.
