Trump says Yemen's Houthis are 'behaving very badly'

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FILE PHOTO: Smoke and flames rise from King Khalid Airport, after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis said they attacked the airport, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, October 8, 2026, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. Social Media/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. NEWS USE ONLY. BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE. Verification lines: The location was verified as Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from the airport buildings, light poles, and painted tarmac markings which matched satellite imagery. Coordinates: 24.952651844496998, 46.70783371105999 Smoke was seen rising from a stationary aircraft at Riyadh airport on Thursday, according to a witness and three people briefed on the matter. There was no immediate official confirmation from Saudi authorities on the reported incident. No versions of the video were found posted online before October 8./File Photo

Published Oct 13, 2026, 11:55 PM

Updated Oct 13, 2026, 11:55 PM

WASHINGTON, Oct 13 - US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Houthi militants who control vast swaths of Yemen were "behaving very badly" as consequences of the US-Iran war spill into the broader Middle East.

The Iran-backed Houthis have been battling the Saudi-backed Yemeni government in a civil war since 2014, but the conflict has intensified since the US began its eight-month war on Iran. The group has recently escalated attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the vital Bab al-Mandab Strait. The Houthis launched attacks on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport in recent days, killing 13 people, wounding more than 300, and closing the skies above the Saudi capital.

Trump told reporters that he "might" ask Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to intervene and support Saudi interests.

"President Erdogan, I think, would do as I ask," Trump said. REUTERS