President Trump considers joining fight between Saudi Arabia and Iranian-backed Houthis

President Donald Trump has said he is considering joining Saudi Arabia in retaliation against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen following a deadly attack on Riyadh’s main airport, a move that could draw the United States further into a second front in the Iran war.

Asked if the United States would support a Saudi attack, President Trump told reporters outside the White House on Saturday: “It’s a possibility. We’ll look at it.” “We have learned about the recent attacks. So we will make a decision. We will act very quickly.”

Two Saudi government officials told MS NOW that the kingdom has requested “urgent defense assistance” from the United States in the wake of the attack.

Officials, including senior Foreign Ministry officials, declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue. He added that the US needed to intervene “as soon as possible” to support the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen.

The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

The Saudi General Authority for Civil Aviation announced that 12 people were killed and 309 injured in the attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, the country’s Official Gazette media reported.

Colonel Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led Yemeni Legitimacy Support Coalition, which has been leading the fight against the Houthis, called the attack a “war crime.”

“The Combined Joint Forces Command therefore responds decisively to this terrorist attack in accordance with customary international humanitarian law,” al-Maliki said in a post on X.

It was the second deadly attack on Riyadh’s airport in less than a week.

On Thursday, three Saudis, including a pilot, were killed in an attack on a facility by Iran-backed Houthi militants.

Following Saturday’s attack, the Houthis renewed their warning against using Saudi airports.

“We once again warn all airlines, professionals, employees, workers and travelers not to use Saudi Arabia’s airports and airspace, as they are vulnerable to attacks and serve as theaters of operations for our forces, with the exception of Mecca and Medina airports,” the Houthis said in a post on X.

Saudi Arabia, a key ally of the United States in the Middle East, intervened in Yemen’s civil war between the Houthis and the internationally recognized government after the group seized Yemen’s capital Sanaa in 2014.

Last month, the Trump administration approved the potential sale of about 50 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia for $24.3 billion, in what would be seen as a major boost for the kingdom as it faces escalating attacks by the Houthis. The sale is under review by Congress.

According to Reuters, the Saudi Energy Ministry announced that the long-planned international energy conference will continue to be held in Riyadh on Sunday.

The five-day WPC Energy Conference ⁠ will be held at the Convention Center near King Khalid Airport. State television told Reuters that more than 70 ministers, 300 business executives and representatives from more than 25 International Energy Agency confirmed their attendance, although it was not clear whether participants would attend in person or virtually.

According to Reuters, a ministerial meeting of the International Energy Forum will also be held, and the plenary session will be held behind closed doors.

In addition to attacks on civil aviation, the Houthis are also seeking to cut off oil tanker traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key entry point to the Red Sea, much as Iran has effectively done in the Strait of Hormuz north of the Arabian Peninsula.

Earlier this month, Yemeni government forces announced they had retaken the strategic port city of Mokha from the Houthis.

Energy prices have soared since the outbreak of the Iran war, which began with US and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets on February 28, putting pressure on consumers around the world.

Rising domestic fuel prices have become an important issue for voters ahead of next month’s midterm elections in the United States.

But that support would be military expensive.

“Potential U.S. involvement in the Saudi Yemeni government’s air campaign to reduce the Houthis’ ballistic missile capabilities would mark the first direct U.S. military action against the group since the end of Operation Rough Rider in May 2025,” said the Critical Threat Project, part of the American Enterprise Institute think tank.

The attack was aimed at curbing the Houthis’ capabilities, but recent attacks indicate they have regrouped.

“After seven months of war, there are doubts about the United States’ ability to mount a sustained campaign against the Houthis, return to combat with Iran if necessary, and prepare for contingencies in other parts of the world, particularly in East Asia,” Stephen Cook, an expert on Arab-Turkish politics at the Council on Foreign Relations think tank, wrote last month.

Meanwhile, the British Defense Secretary said the British government was also considering ways to support Saudi Arabia.

Wes Streeting said in an interview on BBC Television on Sunday: “I have had a number of discussions with my Saudi counterpart (Khalid bin Salman) over the last few weeks to look at what more we can do to support Saudi Arabia, and I’m afraid that last night’s talk may have explained exactly why we are providing such support.”

Mr Street said the UK was not involved in any offensive operations “at this stage”.

“We have always been clear that there is no military solution to this conflict,” Streeting added.