Trump admits to joining the Saudi offensive against the Huthis

O President of the United States, Donald Trump, today admitted to joining the coalition led by Saudi Arabia against the Huthis rebels, allies of Iran in Yemen, saying he hopes to make a decision “very quickly”.

The American leader spoke of reaction to the attack against Riyadh airport today, causing dozens of wounded, some in a serious state, and what diplomatic source told France Presse (AFP) to have been executed with a Huthis missile at 15:00 locals (13:00 in Lisbon).

“It’s possible. Let's look at the situation. We just heard about this recent attack, so we'll make a decision. We are acting very quickly,” Trump said when he was questioned by journalists in the White House.

Previously, the American President had rejected requests from the Saudi Crown Prince and the internationally recognized Government of Yemen for Washington to join the Riyadh-led international coalition to contain the Huthis military advances in Yemen in recent weeks.

In Riyadh’s first statement on numerous reports of an attack on King Khalid Airport, the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority confirmed the existence of “several injured persons”, whose number is still being counted.

The operations were temporarily suspended until the damage was assessed and the safety of the premises was verified, the entity added.

The Huthis have not yet spoken, after claiming previous attacks on Saudi Arabia and imposed a naval blockade on the ships of the Arab kingdom, the world's largest raw exporter, since July in the Red Sea.

A medical source cited by the French news agency indicated that “ten people were injured in today’s attack, mostly Saudi citizens”, of which five were in serious condition and were taken by helicopter to intensive care units.

Later, a clinical source in Riyadh told AFP that “doctors are being called to hospitals” in the Saudi capital.

The United States Embassy in Saudi Arabia said that it “is aware” of today’s attack on Riyadh airport and recommended that US citizens avoid that area.

Several other Western embassies advised their staff to avoid Riyadh airport for a week, and indicated to AFP a diplomat in the Saudi capital.

The French Embassy had already asked its citizens on Friday to take “extreme caution” in Saudi Arabia because of the “Huthis attacks in recent days”.

Riyadh announced today a “large-scale operation” of the coalition he leads against the Huthis, aiming at “the forces and capabilities” of the rebels, while supporting the army of the internationally recognized Government in Yemen.

The counter-offensive occurs after Huthis military advances in western Yemen, allowing control of vast areas of the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

This strategic gateway to the Suez Canal has served as an alternative to the Strait of Ormuz, which has been blocked by Iran since the start of the US and Israel offensive on 28 February against the Islamic Republic.

After years of relative calm in the civil war in Yemen, the fragile truce agreed in 2022 collapsed in July, when the Huthis challenged Riyadh's control over Yemeni airspace, allowing the landing of a plane with Iranian representatives in Sanaa.

The Huthis are part of the so-called axis of resistance, formed by political and armed groups supported by Iran, alongside Hamas in Palestine, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Shia militias in Iraq.

Between 2023 and 2025, they attacked commercial ships in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea as a form of support for Hamas in the war with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

In 2024, the United States led an international coalition against the Huthis in response to the rebel threats in that region vital to global trade.