Saudi conflict with Houthis escalates with new strikes

Geoff Bennett:

The threat of a wider war in the Arabian Peninsula is growing tonight. Houthi rebels in Yemen are once again targeting Saudi military installations and critical infrastructure, raising fears of a broader regional conflict that could draw in other powers.

Amna Nawaz:

The Saudi-led coalition launched new airstrikes on oil facilities across Houthi-controlled Yemen in response to a deadly attack on an international airport in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. That attack over the weekend killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 300.

Ali Rogin has this report.

Ali Rogin:

Today in Yemen's principal port city on the Red Sea coast, plumes of smoke engulfed blue skies, all part of a Saudi-led bombing campaign targeting Houthi-controlled territory and oil facilities.

And, in Eastern Saudi Arabia, loud booms echoed in the night skies. Saudi officials said fragments of an intercepted missile launched by the Houthis fell in a residential area. This follows weekend attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis that turned a crowded airport in Riyadh into chaos.

Saturday's attack at King Khalid International Airport killed at least 13 people and injured more than 300, among the dead, an Egyptian flight attendant who was 28 years old and a Jordanian father of two who worked at a coffee shop inside the airport. His father called the death an indescribable loss.

Hassan Al-Barqawi, Father of Airport Attack Victim (through interpretor): I hope that no other human being ever experiences what I have gone through, because no one can understand this loss except the one who has suffered it.

Ali Rogin:

For Saudi Arabia, the failure of its air defenses to intercept the incoming missiles and drones has further raised fears and questions on how far the kingdom is prepared to go in response, a sentiment the Saudi energy minister echoed yesterday.

Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman, Saudi Arabian Energy Minister:

The events of recent weeks are serious. Our response must be equally serious. For Saudi Arabia, these circumstances have tested our infrastructure, our institution, our people, and our resilience.

Ali Rogin:

Earlier today, the Houthis renewed their warning against using Saudi airspace, calling the country the -- quote -- "kingdom of the horn of Satan" and released footage allegedly showing attacks on Saudi-backed government forces northeast of Yemen's capital, Sanaa.

Saudi allies, including Turkey, called for the Houthis to immediately halt such strikes.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish President (through interpretor):

Turkey stands with Saudi Arabia and its Saudi brothers in the face of unlawful and inhumane attacks.

Ali Rogin:

Turkey's President Recep Erdogan also said he would submit a defense pact struck among Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan to the Parliament for ratification in the coming days. This comes as Saudi Arabia is pushing Washington for more direct military support.

President Donald Trump:

The Houthis have acted very badly.

Ali Rogin:

Today, President Trump weighed in, saying he talked with the Saudi crown prince.

Question:

Did you speak to the Saudi crown prince?

President Donald Trump:

I did, yes. I spoke to him.

Question:

And what did you offer him?

President Donald Trump:

Well, I can't tell you that. Do you really think I could tell you that? I'd love to tell you, but I'm not going to tell you that.

Ali Rogin:

But the U.S. has stopped short of sending military assets to attack Yemen, which could further threaten shipping through the Bab al-Mandab, a vital shipping route and southern gateway to the Red Sea that is especially key for oil exports from Saudi Arabia, which the Houthis have targeted.

In the meantime, as threats grow, the consequences are already visible, a Yemeni town engulfed in smoke, an airport turned to rubble, and mounting funerals for civilians caught in the crossfire.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Ali Rogin.