Washington: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday issued a sharp warning to Yemen’s Houthi movement after a wave of deadly attacks on Saudi Arabia, accusing the group of “behaving very badly” and deliberately trying to drive up oil prices ahead of the US midterm elections — and saying he “might” ask Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to intervene in support of Saudi Arabia.
The warning marks the strongest signal yet that Washington could deepen its involvement in the escalating confrontation between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis, whose weekend ballistic missile strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport killed 13 people and wounded more than 300 — the deadliest attack on Saudi soil in a decade.
FAKTA
- Trump’s warning: The US president said the Houthis were “behaving very badly” and accused them of trying to raise oil prices before the November 3 US midterm elections.
- The Turkey question: Asked if he would ask President Erdogan to hit the Houthis, Trump replied: “I might do it,” adding, “President Erdogan, I think, would do as I ask.”
- Saudi call: Trump spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday, according to Reuters.
- Weekend attack: Saturday’s ballistic missile strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport killed 13 people, including one American citizen, and wounded more than 300.
- US position: Washington has provided Saudi Arabia with intelligence and targeting assistance but has not committed American forces to offensive operations against the Houthis.
Trump Houthis warning: “I will never forget”
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump accused the Houthis of resuming their attacks at Iran’s behest after a period of relative quiet that followed US strikes in Yemen last year. He wrote that he would “never forget” the group’s attacks on Saudi Arabia — and made clear his warning would extend beyond the November 3 midterm elections.
Speaking to reporters earlier in the day, the president said the Houthis were attempting to push energy prices higher in the run-up to the US vote. The warning comes as the group has escalated attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the vital Bab al-Mandab Strait, a chokepoint that has grown more important for global energy supplies since the wider US–Iran war disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
“I might do it”: the Turkey question
Asked by a reporter whether he would request Turkey’s help in striking the Houthis, Trump did not hesitate. “I might do it,” he said. “I have a lot of respect for the president of Turkey. President Erdogan, I think, would do as I ask.”
The remark puts a new spotlight on Turkey’s role in the crisis. Turkish President Erdogan told Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday that Ankara would stand by the kingdom, according to the Turkish presidency, though it gave no details on any specific new line of support. Turkey and Pakistan signed a mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia this summer, although Turkey still needs to ratify the treaty in parliament.
Deadliest attack on Saudi Arabia in a decade
Saturday’s ballistic missile strike on King Khalid International Airport was the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in ten years, forcing the closure of the airport and grounding flights across the country. A Houthi spokesperson celebrated the assault on Sunday, declaring that airports had become “a theatre of operations” for the group’s forces.
Since the weekend, the Houthis have launched additional missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia and threatened strikes on Saudi energy infrastructure, including Saudi Aramco facilities. Earlier on Tuesday, the Saudi-led coalition struck oil facilities west of the Yemeni capital Sanaa after issuing a rare evacuation warning — the latest exchange in a conflict that has intensified sharply since the US began its eight-month war on Iran.
What happens next
On Saturday, Trump said the United States was weighing retaliatory strikes against the Houthis, telling reporters: “We may. We’re going to look at it.” Washington has held off attacking the Houthis since a May 2025 ceasefire that halted strikes on US vessels in the Red Sea — but Tuesday’s warning, and the open discussion of bringing in Turkey, suggests that restraint may be weakening.
Iran, for its part, has offered to mediate between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi made the offer on Sunday in statements reiterated by his ministry on Monday — an offer that now sits alongside Trump’s warning as the region waits to see whether the confrontation escalates further.
Read more of Watan News’ coverage of the crisis in our Middle East section.
