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A devastating missile strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed at least 12 people and injured 309 others on Saturday, marking the deadliest attack on a Gulf Arab state in a decade. The assault, blamed on Yemen-based Houthi rebels, has intensified pressure on Saudi Arabia and its allies to respond — and prompted President Donald Trump to raise the possibility of direct American military involvement.
Deadly Strike Hits Saudi Capital’s Main Airport
Saudi civil aviation authorities confirmed that the missile hit King Khalid International Airport, the kingdom’s primary international hub. Among the dead were one American, four Saudi nationals, two Bangladeshis, one Egyptian, one Jordanian, one Palestinian, one Syrian and one Sudanese citizen. Airport operations remained suspended on Sunday, and some of the wounded were in critical condition.
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The attack followed a similar strike on the same facility just two days earlier. Three people died in that Thursday assault. Together, the attacks represent a sharp escalation in the Houthis’ campaign against Saudi Arabia, a leading global oil exporter whose stability directly affects international energy markets.
Saudi Arabia’s government and its allies quickly blamed the Houthis for Saturday’s strike. Washington also pointed to the Iran-backed group as responsible. The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility, though they renewed a warning urging people to avoid Saudi airports.
Trump Signals Possible U.S. Military Involvement
President Trump indicated on Saturday that the United States might join Saudi military operations against the Houthis. “We may. We’re gonna look at it,” Trump told reporters. “We just found out about the recent attack. So we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly.”
Trump’s comments came weeks after fighting between the Houthis and a Saudi-led coalition reignited alongside the broader conflict between Washington and Tehran. The U.S. previously ran a three-month bombing campaign against the Houthis to stop them from targeting commercial shipping through the Red Sea, a critical global trade route and an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz. That campaign did not succeed in forcing the group to stand down.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged Trump in September to take military action against the Houthis, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to NBC News.
Experts Warn of No Easy Military Solution
However, analysts cautioned against assuming military force would resolve the conflict. Fawaz Gerges, a professor of international relations at the London School of Economics, said Saudi Arabia would likely seek help from allies including Pakistan, Turkey, Syria, Egypt and the United States. Yet he expressed serious doubt about the effectiveness of any military approach.
“I doubt very much whether there is an answer or even a military solution to the Yemeni conflict,” Gerges told NBC News. “The Houthis are determined to fight to the end.”
Gerges also noted that U.S. reluctance to engage more deeply stemmed partly from its earlier failed effort to force the Houthis to stop fighting. Furthermore, he warned that the group was growing more capable over time. “The Houthis are becoming more nimble, more resourceful, more deadly by the day,” he said. “Their targeting system has become much more effective.”
Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a retired political science professor from the United Arab Emirates, argued that full military intervention was not the only option available to Washington. “It doesn’t have to be in the form of going all out against the Houthis,” he said. “American sharing of intelligence and providing the best defense systems against Houthi drones and missiles is needed.” He added that such support could allow Saudi Arabia and its partners to defend themselves without direct U.S. combat involvement.
Abdulla also called on Turkey and Pakistan to activate a joint defense agreement the three nations signed in Mecca in August. That pact, among Sunni Muslim U.S. allies, was designed in response to growing regional instability. “Now it’s the time to activate what this alliance treaty involves,” he said. “That an attack on one is an attack against all.”
International Condemnation Grows
World leaders and international bodies quickly condemned the Riyadh airport strike. Egypt said it “stands firmly” with Saudi Arabia and expressed “strong condemnation” of the attacks. Qatar described the missile strike as “a grave violation of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and a direct threat to regional security.”
Germany and Canada also condemned the assault. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called the attacks “abhorrent.” Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres blamed the Houthis directly, describing the strike as “a violation of international law.” The Saudi-led coalition called it “a fully-fledged war crime” and vowed a strong response.
The broader conflict has intensified since a truce collapsed in July, triggering a renewed Saudi-backed offensive against Houthi positions inside Yemen. The Houthis have since expanded their operations along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and around the Bab el Mandeb strait, a key shipping corridor connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Disruption in that area threatens global trade and energy shipments, raises fuel prices and adds further instability to international markets.
Despite the mounting pressure, Trump has so far resisted deeper involvement in the Middle East. After Houthi forces made sweeping gains last month, Trump noted that the group had contacted the U.S. to signal they “don’t want to fight with us” and would “much prefer not having us involved.” Whether Saturday’s deadly strike on the Riyadh airport changes that calculation remains to be seen.
