What We Know About Trump's Warning the US May Strike Houthis

President Trump says the United States may join Saudi Arabia's retaliatory strikes on the Houthis after the Iran-backed group attacked Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, killing 12 people including one American, according to the New York Post, Oct. 11, 2026.

What happened at the airport?

The Houthi assault on King Khalid International Airport on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, killed 12 people, the New York Post reports, citing the death toll figure directly from its reporting. Among the dead were an American and a Palestinian, per the same report. The outlet describes the strike as the deadliest attack on the Saudi capital in roughly a decade, based on its own characterization of the assault's scale.

What is Trump saying about US involvement?

"We may. We're going to look at it," Trump told reporters Saturday when asked whether the US would join Saudi retaliation, according to the New York Post. He added: "We just found out about the recent attack, so we'll make a decision. We move very quickly." Separately, Trump called the airport strike "terrible," saying, "The Saudis are good fighters, but I think the attack was a terrible thing. We have communication with the Houthis, and we'll see what happens. But what they did was very bad," per the Post's account of his remarks.

What are the Houthis saying?

A Houthi spokesperson said over the weekend that "airports have become a theatre of operations for our forces" and urged "everyone to take our warnings seriously," the New York Post reports. The spokesperson also placed blame on Saudi Arabia for "any failed interceptions," according to the same report — language the Post frames as a threat of additional strikes on civilian-adjacent targets.

How does this fit the May cease-fire?

Trump had largely avoided striking the Houthis up to this point, the Post reports, citing a sense within the administration that the group had held to a May 2026 cease-fire under which it agreed not to target vessels transiting the Red Sea. That restraint also reflected a broader US desire to avoid a conflict that predates the war with Iran, according to the outlet's reporting on administration thinking. The Riyadh airport attack falls outside the maritime terms of that arrangement, since it targeted a land-based civilian facility rather than a ship.

What would US involvement change?

Joining Saudi Arabia's retaliation "has the potential to significantly widen the ongoing conflict in the Middle East over Iran and its proxies," the New York Post reports. No strike order, target list, or timeline for a US decision has been disclosed publicly.

Timeline of events

• May 2026: Houthis enter a cease-fire agreement committing to halt attacks on Red Sea shipping.
• Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026: Houthi forces strike King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, killing 12, including one American.
• Weekend of Oct. 10–11, 2026: A Houthi spokesperson warns of further airport-focused operations and blames Saudi Arabia for failed interceptions.
• Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026: Trump tells reporters the US "may" join Saudi retaliatory strikes, says a decision will come quickly.
• Oct. 11, 2026: New York Post publishes Trump's remarks and the Houthi threat.

For the full account, see the New York Post's original report.