- Houthi warns US involvement prompts swift painful response.
- Escalating Houthi attacks disrupt Saudi airports and flights.
- Houthi aims to pressure Saudi Prince; kingdom vows response.
A Houthi official has warned the United States of a “swift and painful response” if Washington joins Saudi Arabia’s military campaign against the group in Yemen, as US President Donald Trump criticised the rebels over a series of attacks on the kingdom, including a deadly strike on Riyadh’s airport.
Mohammed Al Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthis’ political bureau, said the group would target the US and its interests across the region if Washington became involved in what he described as aggression against Yemen, AFP reported.
“If the US becomes involved in the aggression against Yemen, we will not deliberate over the decision to respond, rather, there will be a swift and painful response targeting the US and all its interests in the region,” Bukhaiti told AFP in an interview on Monday.
He also warned employees and workers at Saudi oil facilities and airports to stay away from the sites, saying they had become “legitimate targets”.
Trump Says Houthis ‘Misbehaving Very Badly’
The warning came after Trump said he was considering joining Saudi strikes against the Houthis following a deadly attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday. The strike killed 13 people and left hundreds wounded, marking the deadliest attack on Saudi soil in more than a decade.
“The Houthis are misbehaving very badly. They’re misbehaving very badly. No good,” Trump said on Monday.
The US president described the airport attack as “not acceptable” and said he would speak to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto leader. Trump told reporters that Washington was “going to look at” the possibility of joining Saudi Arabia’s strikes, after turning down earlier requests for military assistance from Riyadh, the report said.
ALSO READ: Saudi Crown Prince Moved Between Secure Palaces As Houthi Attacks Intensify: Report
Houthis Claim Further Attacks As Saudi Arabia Intercepts Missiles
The conflict escalated further on Monday, with Saudi Arabia reporting fresh missile threats. The Saudi-led military coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched towards Khamis Mushait, a city in the kingdom’s south where a military base has previously come under attack.
In a statement posted on X, the coalition said it had “intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the terrorist Houthi militia towards Khamis Mushait”.
The Houthis also claimed to have targeted the Khamis Mushait base with a drone. The group said it had again targeted Riyadh’s airport, while the Saudi coalition reported intercepting a missile.
The blasts and warnings heightened tension in the Saudi capital. State broadcaster Al Ekhbariya reported that the military coalition was responding to drone and missile threats. Mobile phones received a loud government alert warning of a “hostile aerial threat” on Monday evening, before the interception was announced, AFP reported.
The alert also delayed the start of a football match between Uzbekistan’s Neftchi Fergana and Saudi club Al Nassr, home to Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. It was the first time Riyadh’s phone alert system had been used in weeks. No official explanation was given for the absence of similar alerts during attacks targeting the capital in recent days.
Operations at King Khalid International Airport remained suspended on Monday. CCTV footage released by Saudi authorities showed Muslim pilgrims in religious attire waiting in departure lounges before a sudden blast tore through the building, bringing down flaming debris.
Houthis Say Campaign Aims To Pressure Saudi Crown Prince
Bukhaiti said the campaign against Saudi targets was intended to send a message to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that he could no longer conduct military operations against Yemen without facing consequences.
The attacks have targeted oil facilities, tankers and transport hubs across Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter. Despite substantial spending on military equipment, the strikes have put pressure on the kingdom’s air defences.
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman addressed the security situation at a conference in Riyadh on Monday, saying recent developments had “tested our infrastructure, our institutions, our people, and our resilience”.
“The events of recent weeks are serious, our response must be equally serious,” he said.
Airlines Suspend Flights As US Issues Travel Warning
The security situation has also disrupted air travel across the region. Etihad Airways, the UAE’s national carrier, announced on Monday that it was cancelling all flights to and from Riyadh until next week. It also suspended services to Dammam and Jeddah.
Bahrain’s national carrier Gulf Air said it was cancelling all flights to Riyadh until Saturday, while US airline Delta announced a delay to the launch of its direct service between Atlanta and Riyadh, which had been scheduled for October 23.
The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia also urged US citizens to “take extreme caution” if they chose to travel through the airports.
Saudi Arabia has led an international military coalition supporting Yemen’s government since 2015. Its campaign has included efforts to control Yemeni airspace and the airport in Sanaa, the capital held by the Houthis.
The Yemeni civil war, involving the Saudi-led coalition’s support for the government against the Iran-backed Houthis, reignited in July amid a wider regional conflict that has disrupted energy markets and deepened instability across the Middle East.
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