Strike on Riyadh Airport Kills 12, Wounds 309; Trump Says U.S. 'May' Join Strikes on Houthis

A strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday killed at least 12 people and wounded 309, according to Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority, and airport operations were suspended. One of the dead was an American, CBS News reported, and the closure was extended into Sunday.

The Saudi-led coalition and the U.S. State Department attributed the attack to Yemen's Houthi rebels, who had not formally claimed it, though a Houthi media official said the group had "shut down Riyadh international airport," Al Jazeera reported. The coalition called the strike a "full-fledged war crime," and Saudi Arabia threatened a decisive response. It was the second attack on the airport in three days: strikes on Thursday killed three people, according to Reuters.

Asked whether the United States would join Saudi strikes on the Houthis, President Trump said: "We may. We're gonna look at it," adding that "we will make a decision" and "we move very quickly". He called the attack "not acceptable" and said he would speak with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. No decision has been announced. The strike follows a major Saudi-led offensive against the Houthis the week before and the collapse of a truce.

Markets have not yet traded the escalation, since the strike came on a Saturday. Brent crude was around $103 to $105 a barrel on Friday, before the attack, already elevated by the wider Middle East war. Direct U.S. involvement or further strikes on Saudi infrastructure are the escalation paths energy markets will watch when trading resumes.