President Donald Trump has said the US could join Saudi Arabia’s military campaign against Yemen’s Houthis, signaling a potential reversal of his previous reluctance to intervene directly in the escalating conflict.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Saturday, Trump was asked whether US forces could join the Saudi strikes against the Yemeni group, also known as Ansar Allah, following another deadly attack on Riyadh’s international airport.
”We may. We’re going to look at it,” Trump replied. “We just found out about the recent attack. So we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly.”
Trump later suggested that Saudi Arabia is capable of defending itself without US involvement, describing the latest attack on the kingdom as “terrible.”
“They’re able to defend. The Saudis are good fighters. But I think the attack was a terrible thing,” Trump told reporters.
Asked again whether the US would intervene, he said: “You’re gonna find out… We have communication with the Houthis, and we’ll see what happens. But what they did was very bad.”
The remarks came after a Houthi strike on King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital killed 12 people and injured another 309, according to updated figures released on Sunday by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). The dead included four Saudi citizens and eight foreign nationals, among them an American. Some of the injured are in critical condition.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, one of several targeting Saudi airports in recent days. Speaking exclusively to RT, senior Ansar Allah official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti said the strikes were intended to force Riyadh to accept a “comprehensive and permanent peace” and end the war and mutual blockade.
The renewed fighting comes as Saudi-backed Yemeni forces have launched a major offensive to retake territory seized by the Houthis, including strategic areas near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The Saudi-led coalition said on Friday that it launched “large-scale operations” against the group, destroying 136 military targets, according to the spokesman.
Trump’s remarks suggest a potential shift in the US position. In September, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman repeatedly sought US military assistance against the Houthis, but Trump ultimately backed away from authorizing strikes despite preparations for an operation, according to the New York Times.
Washington has reportedly continued to provide Riyadh with intelligence and other non-combat support, but direct US strikes against the Houthis would open another front in the regional conflict.
In March 2025, Trump ordered weeks of US air and naval strikes against Houthi positions, targeting missile launchers, radar installations, and other military infrastructure in an attempt to halt attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. The campaign ended abruptly in May under an Omani-brokered ceasefire after the Houthis agreed to stop targeting US vessels.
In September, Trump claimed that the Houthis contacted Washington, seeking to avoid another confrontation with US forces, saying the group “would much prefer not having us involved.” Ansar Allah denied making contact.
The latest escalation comes amid the broader regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli war against Iran in February. The Houthis have expanded their control along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, threatening a crucial shipping route that Saudi Arabia increasingly relies on for oil exports amid disruptions to traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.