Why Trump is not going to war with the Houthis

Is Washington leaving Saudi Arabia to fend for itself? Last week, Houthi rebels launched a series of missile strikes on Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital. Surveillance footage showed a fireball erupting as airport passengers ran for cover. At least 14 people have been killed and hundreds were injured.

The attack is the latest escalation in a decade-long war between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in neighbouring Yemen. The Saudis have long relied on financial, military and intelligence support from the United States, particularly in their fight against the Houthis. But Washington so far has shown little appetite for direct involvement in the fighting.

So why is the United States holding back? And what does that mean for the people caught in the middle?

The BBC’s chief international investigations correspondent, Nawal al-Maghafi, recently reported from inside Yemen and joins The Global Story’s Asma Khalid to discuss why this conflict is escalating and what might happen next.

(Photo: Houthi supporters rally against Saudi Arabia in Sanaa, Yemen, 9 October 2026. Credit:Yahya Arhab / EPA / Shutterstock)

Producer: Cat Farnsworth and Mhairi MacKenzie

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Senior news editor: China Collins