Donald Trump cut short his stay at Camp David as tensions escalated in the Middle East, after Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a barrage of missile strikes targeting “sensitive” sites in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi authorities confirmed on Saturday that the Yemeni group had attempted to strike the capital with a ballistic missile. Video footage appeared to show smoke and flames rising near Riyadh airport.
Trump had been scheduled to remain at the presidential retreat throughout the weekend before returning to the White House on Sunday.
Instead, he arrived on the White House South Lawn aboard Marine One at 7:57 p.m. local time on Saturday.
Aides Natalie Harp and Walt Nauta were among the group seen leaving the helicopter and walking toward the White House.
Our News Outlet has contacted the White House for comment.
The US State Department said the Houthis had “engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including civilian airports.”
“This military conflict has the potential to escalate rapidly. Americans outside the Middle East should seriously reconsider travel to and through the region,” the department said.
Donald Trump cut short his Camp David visit as Middle East tensions rose after Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for a barrage of missile attacks on “sensitive” sites in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia confirmed that Yemeni rebels had attempted to strike its capital with a ballistic missile after video showed smoke and flames rising near Riyadh airport.
The State Department also urged Americans in the region to “exercise heightened vigilance” and prepare for possible flight cancellations and other travel disruptions.
The strikes marked the first Houthi attacks aimed at Riyadh since fighting intensified, opening a new front in the Iran war.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis issued its statement well after the dawn attack, saying the missile had been intercepted.
Some Riyadh residents reported hearing an explosion, while others later saw a column of smoke near the airport.
No casualties or damage were reported.
The coalition said the Houthis had also attempted to strike civilian infrastructure in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu, where a major Saudi pipeline terminates, as well as in Taif, Baysh and Farasan. The attacks were thwarted, but no further details were provided.
Earlier, the Houthis claimed without offering evidence that they had hit “sensitive sites” in Riyadh and facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco in Yanbu, causing “massive fires.”
The expanding conflict near another major global shipping corridor has added fresh pressure to financial markets.
President Donald Trump steps off Marine One after arriving at the Ellipse outside the White House on Saturday.
Supporters of Yemen’s Houthi rebels chant slogans during a rally backing the group and protesting Saudi Arabia’s accusation that the Houthis targeted Islam’s holiest site, Mecca.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya al-Sarea said a ‘large number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones’ had been used to target sites in Riyadh as well as facilities belonging to state oil giant Aramco in Yanbu.
He said the strikes were carried out ‘in response to the Saudi enemy’s criminal attempts’ to target the Yemeni capital Sanaa.
The claims came hours after flames and a huge plume of black smoke were seen near Riyadh’s main international airport.
Footage showed thick smoke billowing into the sky near King Khalid International Airport after booms were heard across the Saudi capital.
Saudi Arabia had earlier warned of a ‘hostile aerial threat’, issuing a string of emergency alerts across the kingdom late Friday and early Saturday.
Recent days have seen one escalation after another. On Thursday, the first civilian casualty was reported as the Saudi civil defense said debris from an intercepted Houthi drone killed a Yemeni resident of Saudi Arabia.
And on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia said the Houthis had tried to attack Mecca, Islam´s holiest city, with a drone that it said was intercepted, calling the security of the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad a ‘red line.’ The Houthis fiercely denied the accusation.
The United States, a close Saudi ally, has signaled it has no current fight with the Houthis.
White House pool reporters noted Trump landed in Marine One on the White House South Lawn at 7:57pm local time Saturday night
Aides Natalie Harp (pictured right) and Walt Nauta (pictured left) were seen among a group walking off the helicopter toward the White House
Meanwhile, fighting has surged inside Yemen between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government.
The rebels raced down the country’s Red Sea coast over a week ago, seizing the key port city of Mokha and islands on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea.
That has improved their surveillance of passing ships, though the Houthis have said they are only targeting Saudi ones.
The fighting in Yemen also marks a return to a devastating civil war after four years of relative calm.
