Trump says U.S. may join Saudi operations after Houthi strikes on Riyadh airport, officials reviewing requests

Iran-backed Houthi fighters carried out strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh that caused casualties and injuries, the Business Insider report says. The assault prompted public statements from regional governments and questions about possible U.S. military involvement, according to the article and related headlines. President Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House that American officials are reviewing requests for defense assistance from Saudi Arabia and that U.S. forces "might join" Saudi operations; Trump was quoted saying, "We may. We're going to look at it," and adding, "We just found out about the recent attack. We move very quickly."

Business Insider's account says the attack on the Riyadh airport was carried out by Iran-backed Houthi fighters and caused casualties and injuries, though the article text does not give a final casualty tally. The piece notes that reactions included condemnation from Egypt and public statements from the Saudi-led coalition. The report cites a comment reported by CNBC that Colonel Turki Al-Maliki, the spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, labelled the assault a "war crime" and vowed a decisive response under international law. Business Insider frames those remarks as part of Saudi-led partners calling for strong measures after the strike. Trump’s remarks to reporters, as quoted in the Business Insider article, describe American officials' ongoing evaluation of defense assistance options at the request of Saudi authorities and leave open the possibility of U.S. forces joining Saudi operations against the Houthis. The article attributes the phrasing "might join" and the direct quotations about reviewing requests and moving quickly to the president's remarks outside the White House. Business Insider also reports that Egypt publicly condemned the airport drone strike, reflecting regional diplomatic backlash noted in the article. The available texts do not offer operational details about what form U.S. assistance would take, nor do they include an official response from the Houthis within the article. Taken together, the Business Insider story and related headlines document a significant outbound Houthi attack on a major Saudi airport, regional condemnation that includes Egypt and the Saudi-led coalition, and a U.S. president publicly saying American officials are considering Saudi requests and that U.S. forces "might join" Saudi operations.