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Two Saudi officials told MS NOW the kingdom is requesting “urgent defense support” from the US “as soon as possible,” per CNBC, as Trump weighs whether to join Saudi strikes against the Houthis. Any US involvement would mark the first direct American military action against the Houthis since Operation Rough Rider ended in May 2025, per the Critical Threats Project. Trump’s exact words Saturday outside the White House, when asked if the US would back Saudi strikes: “We may. We’re going to look at it.” UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting told the BBC on Sunday that Britain is examining how to support Saudi Arabia but is not joining offensive operations “at this stage.”
UN Yemen envoy Hans Grundberg strongly condemned the strike on King Khalid International Airport and called on the Houthis to end such attacks, while EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called it a “horrible terrorist attack,” saying attacks on civilian infrastructure have no justification. The African Union offered condolences to the victims’ families and called for de-escalation, widening the international backlash as the Saudi-led coalition vows a firm response and Washington weighs joining retaliatory strikes.
Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a senior Houthi political official and spokesman, confirmed to RT that the group carried out Saturday’s missile strike on King Khalid International Airport, the first direct claim of responsibility after a week in which the airport was hit repeatedly. He vowed the Houthis would keep striking Saudi targets until Riyadh agrees to a comprehensive peace deal ending the war and the blockade of Houthi-held northern Yemen.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation puts the toll at 12 dead and 309 wounded, with several in critical condition, and describes the figures as preliminary. The dead include four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshis, and one national each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan. The missile hit the complex housing the domestic terminals, and the airport suspended operations pending a full damage assessment. Flight-tracking data showed more than 300 flights cancelled on Saturday, and no Saudi threat-warning alert was issued before the strike.
The attack drew an unusually direct American response. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the strike and noted that an American citizen was among the killed, while the US Embassy in Riyadh urged citizens to avoid the airport and surrounding areas. Asked outside the White House whether the United States would join Saudi strikes against the Houthis, President Trump said, “We may,” adding that a decision would come quickly. The Saudi-led coalition called the strike a “fully-fledged war crime” and vowed a firm response.
Saturday’s strike was the third on the same airport in a week. The two earlier attacks killed four people and damaged a Saudi commercial aircraft parked on the tarmac. The Houthis have declared Saudi airspace a zone of military operations, a warning that drew flight suspensions from carriers including Air India and the Lufthansa Group and prompted EgyptAir to suspend Cairo and Alexandria services to Riyadh.
The escalation follows a Saudi-backed Yemeni government offensive to retake Houthi-held territory along the Red Sea coast, backed by Saudi airstrikes, with the Houthis retaliating against airports and energy infrastructure inside the kingdom. The running account of the strike arc is being updated in the October 10 story.