Riyadh airport attack another dangerous moment in already tense conflict

In early September, the White House stated it would not directly intervene in the Yemen conflict, but could provide intelligence support to the Saudis. It later confirmed that it was supplying intelligence and had deployed military experts to Saudi Arabia.

However the situation may have taken a new turn following the latest attack on Riyadh, which killed a US citizen.

Speaking to reporters, US President Donald Trump called Saturday’s attack “terrible” and indicated he may intervene militarily with the Saudis.

“We just found out about the recent attack, so we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly,” Trump said.

But that now seems unlikely, at least before crucial US midterm elections next month.

When he was re-elected in 2024, Trump promised to end America’s role in wars around the world. Despite this, the US is currently involved in three unresolved conflicts in the Middle East – in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.

Should Trump get embroiled in another one, this time in Yemen, it is unlikely to go down well with voters.

This war now looks like it will intensify before it ends in another shaky truce – with or without US involvement.

Additional analysis from Abdelbassir Hassan, BBC Arabic