Houthi Painful Response Threat Targets US Interests If Washington Joins Yemen War

Houthi – (Special Correspondent/Web Desk) – A senior Houthi leader has promised a Houthi painful response if the United States joins the war in Yemen. He spoke on Monday, as Saudi Arabia is said to be asking Washington for help against the group’s constant attacks.

Mohammed Al Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi political bureau, gave the warning in an interview with AFP. He said the group would not waste time thinking about it. Any US move, he said, would bring a fast reply aimed at America and its interests in the region.

The war in Yemen flared up again in July. It began months after a wider conflict started across the Middle East, which has shaken energy markets. Since then, the Houthis have hit Saudi oil sites, tankers and transport hubs.

The worst blow came on Saturday. A strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 13 people and wounded hundreds more. It was the deadliest attack on Saudi land in over ten years.

Video released by Saudi officials shows pilgrims waiting in the departure hall. Then a loud blast tears through the building, and burning pieces fall from above.

President Donald Trump called the attack “not acceptable.” He said he would speak with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He also said the US would look at joining Saudi strikes on the Houthis. Reports say he had turned down earlier Saudi requests for help.

On Monday night, explosions were heard over Riyadh again. The Saudi-led coalition said it stopped a Houthi missile. Later, it said it shot down two ballistic missiles in the south, near Khamis Mushait. A Saudi military base in that city has been hit before.

A loud alert also reached phones across Riyadh, warning of a hostile air threat. It was the first such alert in weeks. The warning delayed a football match involving Al Nassr, the team of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Flights have been badly hit. The airport still had no operations on Monday. Etihad Airways stopped all flights to Riyadh until next week and paused services to Dammam and Jeddah. Gulf Air cancelled Riyadh flights until Saturday. Delta has pushed back its planned Atlanta to Riyadh launch, which was set for October 23.

The US embassy told its staff to get approval before using any Saudi airport. It also asked American citizens to be very careful when flying. It added that some Americans were detained for taking photos of recent events.

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said the past weeks had tested the country’s systems and its people. He said the Saudi reply must be just as serious.

Experts say the task is huge. Thomas Juneau of the University of Ottawa noted that Saudi Arabia is too big to protect everywhere, all the time. He believes the Houthis now want Saudi Arabia to feel what Yemen has felt.

Riyadh has backed Yemen’s government since 2015. It also helps control Yemeni airspace and the airport in Sanaa, the Houthi-held capital.

The UN rights chief, Volker Turk, said he was shocked by the repeated attacks. He urged both sides to calm things down. More fighting, he warned, will only bring more pain to a country already in deep crisis.

For now, the Houthi painful response warning adds to fears that the war could grow wider. Everyone is watching what Trump decides next.