Trump Hints at Striking Houthis: We Will Decide Quickly

Washington (Agencies): U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he would decide “soon” whether the United States would join Saudi Arabia in launching strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, in remarks made on Saturday following a Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. When asked whether he had decided to support Saudi Arabia in targeting the Houthis, Trump told reporters at the White House: “We might do it. We will study the matter. We just learned about the latest attack, so we will make a decision. We are moving very quickly.” Trump described the attacks against Saudi Arabia as “horrible,” affirming that Saudis are capable of defending their country, and noted that the United States is in contact with the Houthis, adding that their actions were “very bad.” He further stated that he had not yet spoken with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman but intended to do so, emphasizing that what had occurred was unacceptable. For his part, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday “strongly condemned” the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia in recent days, announcing that an American citizen had been killed in one of them. Rubio made the statement in a post on his X account. He said his country “strongly condemns” the Houthis’ recent attacks on Saudi Arabia, including the Saturday attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, noting that one of the victims of the attack was an American citizen. He added that these attacks “show disregard for civilian lives,” calling for them to stop. Rubio offered his condolences to Saudi Arabia and the families of the attack victims.