Trump Says “We May” as Rubio, Guterres and Gulf Capitals Answer the Riyadh Airport Strike

President Donald Trump told reporters on Saturday evening that “what happened in Saudi Arabia is not acceptable,” and when he was asked whether the United States might join the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis, he answered: “We may. We’re going to look at it.” He was speaking on his return to Washington from a political rally, The National reported. The question followed what Al Jazeera described as the deadliest attack in the kingdom in more than a decade.

The Saudi civil aviation authority said a missile strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on October 10 killed 12 people and wounded 309. It was the third attack on the airport in a week. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Canada’s prime minister and a long list of Arab governments condemned it within hours. They did not say the same thing. The statements are set side by side below, in the order they came.

Earlier Silent Dossier coverage of the strike and its military setting is in Riyadh Airport Attack: Saudi Arabia’s War Is Only Beginning and US Saudi Airspace Warning Signals a Wider Houthi-Iran War. This piece covers what governments and officials have said since.

Washington condemned the attack and confirmed an American death. Trump’s “We may” is the nearest it has come to a commitment. The Saudi-led coalition promised a “decisive” response without naming one. Oman called for “self-restraint” and Egypt for respect for international law.

On Thursday, October 8, the Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said a ballistic missile had struck the airport, and added that Saudi airspace “has become a theatre for our military operations”, according to a dpa report. That attack killed three Saudi citizens, including a Saudia pilot, the aviation authority said, in a report carried by Arab News. After Saturday’s strike, the head of the Houthi media office wrote on X that the group had “shut down Riyadh international airport,” Al Jazeera reported.

The aviation authority’s list of the dead names four Saudis, two Bangladeshis and one person each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Sudan and Palestine. About 260 flights were cancelled and 219 delayed on Saturday, according to Flightradar24 data cited by The National.

The coalition spokesman, Major General Turki al-Malki, called it a “full-fledged war crime.” He said the coalition would “respond decisively to this terrorist attack in accordance with the Customary International Humanitarian Law,” in a statement Al Jazeera carried.

Rubio confirmed that an American was among the dead and called the attacks “reprehensible.” In a post on X reported by Al Jazeera he wrote: “We stand with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its people and extend our condolences to the victims and their families.”

Guterres said on X that he was “deeply shocked” and that attacks on civilians must stop immediately. The UN envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said in a written statement: “Such actions pose a serious threat to regional security.” Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada called the attacks “abhorrent” and wrote that “there can be no justification for attacks on civilian infrastructure.”

Qatar’s foreign ministry called the strike a “serious violation of Saudi sovereignty.” Egypt’s ministry expressed “strong condemnation” and denounced a “flagrant violation” of international law. Pakistan called it a “heinous act of terrorism.” Jordan’s foreign ministry called it a “dangerous escalation.” Oman’s statement stressed “the necessity of prioritising the voice of wisdom and self-restraint.” Al Jazeera listed these.

After the Thursday attack, the Gulf Cooperation Council’s secretary-general, Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, had called on the world for “serious international action” against the Houthis, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had posted on X that “Iran’s proxies must stop their reckless and violent acts,” both reported by Arab News.

Arabic-language outlets reported that Trump also said Washington has contacts with the Houthis and that what they did was “very bad.” The English reports of his Saturday remarks that the desk could open do not carry the line. It is left out of the quotations above until a transcript or video confirms it.

No Houthi statement has yet answered the coalition’s promise of a response, and the Houthi claims about the strikes have not been independently verified. Trump has said he will speak to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, but no readout of a call has been published.

The first marker is the readout of the Trump call with the crown prince: whether it names a US role or repeats “We may.” The second is the coalition’s first strike after al-Malki’s pledge, and and what it targets. The third is the Omani and Egyptian channels, since both have said their preference is restraint. The fourth is the airport itself. The US mission in Riyadh “strongly recommends” that citizens avoid it, Al Jazeera reported, and Canada cited “ongoing military activity.” Flight schedules in the coming days will show whether that advice holds.