Donald Trump ended his visit to Camp David early amid Middle East tensions after Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for a barrage of missile attacks on ‘sensitive’ sites in Saudi Arabia.
The Saudis on Saturday confirmed the Yemeni rebels tried to attack its capital with a ballistic missile after video showed smoke flames billowing over Riyadh airport.
Trump was originally slated to spend the entire weekend at the retreat and come back to the White House on Sunday.
However, Trump landed in Marine One on the White House South Lawn at 7:57pm local time Saturday night.
Aides Natalie Harp and Walt Nauta were seen among a group walking off the helicopter toward the White House.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House for comment.
The US State Department confirmed the Houthis have ‘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,’ they continued.
Donald Trump ended his visit to Camp David early amid Middle East tensions after Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for a barrage of missile attacks on ‘sensitive’ sites in Saudi Arabia
The Saudis on Saturday confirmed the Yemeni rebels tried to attack its capital with a ballistic missile after video showed smoke flames billowing over Riyadh airport
The State Department also warned that Americans in the region ‘should exercise heightened vigilance’ and be prepared for potential flight cancellations and other travel disruptions.
The Houthi attacks were the first targeting of Riyadh since the escalation in fighting and has opened a new front in the Iran war.
The statement by the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis came long after the dawn missile attack, which the coalition said was intercepted.
Some residents in Riyadh heard an explosion. Later, some saw a plume of smoke near the airport.
There were no reports of casualties or damage.
The statement also said the Houthis tried to attack civilian infrastructure in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu – where a key Saudi pipeline ends – and in Taif, Baysh and Farasan but they were thwarted, giving no further details.
The Houthis earlier claimed, without providing evidence, that they had targeted ‘sensitive sites’ in Riyadh and facilities of Saudi oil giant Aramco in Yanbu, causing ‘massive fires.’
The growing conflict near another important global shipping corridor has brought new pressures for markets.
President Donald Trump steps off from Marine One upon his arrival at the Ellipse just outside of the White House Saturday
Supporters of Yemen’s Houthi rebels shout slogans during a rally in support of the group and to protest Saudi Arabia’s accusation that the Houthis targeted Islam’s holiest site of 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.
