US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he weighs joining Saudi Arabia’s strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels following a deadly attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport
US President Donald Trump said Washington was considering joining Saudi Arabia’s strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels after an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 12 people and injured more than 300, according to Saudi civil aviation authorities.
Asked whether he had decided to join the Saudi strikes, Trump said, “We may. We’re going to look at it. We just found out about the recent attack. We will make a decision. We move very quickly.”
Earlier reporting noted: ‘Not acceptable’: Trump after Riyadh airport attack kills 12, says he’ll speak with Saudi Crown Prince US President Donald Trump on Saturday condemned the deadly missile strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Because they were not authorised to speak to the media, a missile struck a complex housing terminals 3 and 4, used for domestic flights, a regional official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The mission said US government employees in Saudi Arabia required special authorisation to use King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, as well as airports in Jeddah and Dammam. Saudi civil aviation authorities said the dead included four Saudi citizens and nationals of Bangladesh, Palestine, the US, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Sudan. He called the attack “not acceptable” after Saudi authorities said at least 12 people were killed and 309 others injured. Earlier reporting noted: Speaking to reporters, Trump said he would soon speak with Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. “What happened in Saudi Arabia’s not acceptable,” Trump said. “I will be speaking” with the crown prince.
The injured were being treated at several hospitals, with some in critical condition.
Earlier reporting noted: The Trump administration is now considering whether the United States should deepen its military involvement against the Houthis. The attack on Saturday was the deadliest in a Gulf country since the start of the Iran war, as fighting has expanded to include renewed clashes between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces in Yemen.