"Houthis Are Vicious, We Will Not Forget"... Saudi Arabia Launches Retaliatory Airstrikes

[Anchor]

U.S. President Donald Trump has hinted that he may take action against Yemen's Houthi rebels, who attacked Saudi Arabia, after the midterm elections. With Saudi Arabia also launching retaliatory strikes, concerns over a wider escalation continue to grow.

Here is a report from Washington by correspondent Jeon Byeong-nam.

[Reporter]

U.S. President Donald Trump has once again strongly criticized Yemen's Houthi rebels for carrying out attacks against Saudi Arabia.

He claimed that the Houthi rebels "are attacking Saudi Arabia in a very vicious manner," adding that "it is highly likely that this is at the direction of Iran and intended to raise oil prices before the midterm elections."

[Donald Trump / U.S. President : (Have you made a decision regarding the Houthi rebel attacks?) They are acting very viciously. (So what do you plan to do?) I mean, if I told you I had made a decision, that would be... The Houthi rebels are acting very viciously.]

Emphasizing that he "will still be in office after the midterm elections," President Trump warned that he would not forget the actions of the Houthi rebels.

This is interpreted as an emphasis that, regardless of the outcome of the midterm elections, he remains in the presidency and could order retaliatory strikes against the Houthis after the vote.

This message came amid a series of ongoing airstrikes targeting Saudi Arabia, including a Houthi rebel attack on Riyadh's international airport that left at least 14 people dead and some 300 injured.

President Trump, who previously stated that he would not attack Iran before the midterm elections on November 3, instead mentioned that he could ask countries like Turkey to provide military support to Saudi Arabia.

[Donald Trump / U.S. President : I think President Erdoğan (of Turkey) will grant my request. I have a lot of respect for him.]

Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition launched sudden airstrikes on October 13 local time, targeting the Al-Sabah central base and underground reserve fuel storage facilities in the Yemeni capital of SANA.

This is interpreted as a retaliatory measure for the attack on Riyadh International Airport.

The coalition explained the background of the attack by stating that the Houthi rebels had seized civilian resources and diverted them to fund terrorism.

As the Houthis have threatened retaliatory counter-attacks against Saudi state oil company Aramco's headquarters and Riyadh refinery facilities in response to the coalition strikes, concerns over a broader escalation are mounting further.

(Camera Reporter: Oh Jung-shik, Video Editor: Cho Mu-hwan)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.