[UPDATE] Saudi-led coalition bombs Houthi oil facilities and a fuel depot in Yemen after a Riyadh airport strike killed at least 13
Trump accuses the Houthis of pushing up oil prices before the Nov. 3 midterms; a Houthi official threatens U.S. interests if America joins the fight.
Saudi-led coalition jets struck Houthi-held oil facilities and a key fuel depot in Yemen, payback for the Houthi strike on Riyadh's King Khalid airport. The Houthis are the Iran-backed rebel group that holds much of Yemen. That Saturday, Oct. 10 strike killed at least 13, including an American, and injured more than 300, per AP; a second strike on Sunday, Oct. 11 killed one more, bringing the airport toll to at least 14. Houthi attacks kept coming. Trump. On Truth Social, he accused the Houthis of trying to drive up oil prices before the midterms (the congressional elections on Tuesday, Nov. 3): "I'm not running in the Elections... but I'll be there after the Elections, and I will never forget!" He is not on the ballot but stays president after the vote. Brent, the global benchmark, settled at $105.69 a barrel on Tuesday, Oct. 13, a day after its highest close since Sept. 15; U.S. crude settled at $94.14, per Reuters. The Houthis. An official told AFP that if the U.S. joins, "there will be a swift and painful response targeting the US and all its interests in the region." Still open. The week's death toll. CBS counts at least 20 killed in Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia, including one American; NBC counts at least 14.
PREVIOUSLY
- Sept. 15 — Houthis seized two more Red Sea islands; drone damage put Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline, carrying about 4 million barrels a day, out for weeks.
- Sept. 16–17 — Aramco halted loadings at Yanbu, its last open terminal; supertanker hire topped $1 million a day and U.S. crude hit $107.02.
- Sept. 19 — Trump declined a prepared U.S. air campaign against the Houthis, giving the Saudis intelligence and targeting data instead.
- Sept. 20–21 — Houthi missiles burned a fuel depot near Riyadh's airport; Saudi Arabia intercepted another missile aimed at the capital.
- Sept. 23 — Saudi Arabia tested the East-West pipeline for a restart; oil fell below $98.
- Oct. 10–11 — Strikes on Riyadh's airport killed at least 14, including an American; Trump said the U.S. "may" join Saudi strikes.
- Oct. 12 — A new drone-and-cruise-missile attack hit; Saudi Arabia began investigating its air-defense failure and closed the airport until Oct. 17.
What the U.S. has already sold Saudi Arabia to fight with:
- Saudi Arabia agreed earlier this year to buy 730 Patriot missiles from the U.S. for $9 billion (NBC); how many have been delivered is not public.
- Saudi Arabia took 12% of all U.S. arms exports from 2021 to 2025 (NBC).