President Donald Trump said he is weighing whether the United States will join Saudi Arabia’s military strikes after Houthi terrorists killed an American and at least 11 other people in a bombing at Riyadh’s airport.
King Khalid International Airport was hit in a large-scale attack on Saturday, leaving at least a dozen people dead and more than 300 injured, according to Saudi authorities.
Saudi Arabia and its allies blamed the latest assault on the Houthis, although the Iran-backed terrorist group did not immediately claim responsibility. Instead, the organization warned civilians to stay away from Saudi airports.
Asked by reporters outside the White House whether the US would take part in the operation, Trump said: ‘We may. We’re going to look at it.
‘We just found out about the recent attack, so we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly.’
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the attack and confirmed that one unidentified American citizen was among those killed.
‘The United States strongly condemns the recent attacks on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by the terrorists Houthis, including today’s strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh that took numerous innocent lives, including an American citizen,’ Rubio wrote on X on Saturday evening.
Rubio added: ‘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.’
President Donald Trump said he is considering joining Saudi Arabia in strikes after Houthi terrorists killed an American and at least 11 others in Saturday’s bombing at the Riyadh airport
At least a dozen people were killed and more than 300 injured in the attack at King Khalid International Airport
The assault was the deadliest attack in a Gulf Arab nation since the US-Israel war with Iran began in February.
Any decision by Trump to intervene would likely intensify the ongoing conflict involving the United States and Iran.
Following the bombing, the US, Britain, Germany, Australia and Canada were among the countries that advised their citizens to avoid Saudi Arabia’s largest airport.
Local aviation officials said all airport operations had been suspended as authorities evaluated the damage and treated those injured in the attack.
Saudi Arabia is reportedly running short of missile interceptors and has asked countries including France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt to provide air-defense support in the region, officials told the Associated Press in September.
A regional official told the outlet that the US has also seen its own missile reserves decline during the war with Iran.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the attack and said one unidentified American citizen had been killed
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The Iran-backed Houthi terrorist organization, pictured in Yemen, later claimed responsibility for the deadly strike, according to The New York Times, citing a senior militant official
The US has so far supported Saudi Arabia by sharing intelligence, helping plan the offensive against the Houthis and identifying targets, officials said, according to NPR.
The bombing damaged three aircraft, an official who spoke to the outlet on condition of anonymity said.
One of the planes was damaged on the ground, and no passengers were on board, Saudia Group said.
In addition to the US citizen, four people from Saudi Arabia, two from Bangladesh, one from Jordan, one Palestinian, one Syrian, one person from Sudan, and one Egyptian citizen died in the attack, the BBC reported.
One passenger witnessed a strike in the airport’s domestic terminal, they said.
‘I was on gate 403. I saw 401 hit, I saw injured in front of my eyes. Everyone was running.’
The attack prompted health officials to activate a rare mass call-up of doctors to deal with the ‘serious emergency situation’, a medical source said.
Local aviation authorities said all airport operations have been suspended while officials assess the extent of injuries and damage
The Houthis claimed a series of strikes targeting the airport on Thursday that killed three people and damaged a passenger jet. However, they did not immediately take responsibility for any new attacks on Saturday
Two doctors said several pilgrims headed to Mecca had been among the wounded.
The Houthis claimed a series of strikes targeting the airport on Thursday that killed three people and damaged a passenger jet. However, they did not immediately take responsibility for any new attacks on Saturday.
Saturday’s attack was the deadliest in the kingdom since May 2015, when an Islamic State suicide bomber killed 21 worshippers in a Shia mosque in the eastern Qatif governorate.
The civil war in Yemen flared back to life in July after a four-year, UN-brokered truce collapsed, months into a wider Middle East war that has rocked the region and roiled energy supplies and markets.
Saudi Arabia leads an international coalition that has supported Yemen’s government militarily since 2015 and is now being drawn deeper into its impoverished neighbor’s conflict.
A March 2022 ceasefire between the Houthis and Saudis unraveled months ago, sparking an intense advance by the terrorist group as the Saudi-led coalition tried to retake its territory.