Trump says he may ask Erdoğan to help counter Houthi attacks
Trump said on October 13, 2026 he could request Turkey's Erdoğan to support Saudi Arabia as Houthi strikes expand into the Red Sea and Saudi territory.
On October 13, 2026, President Donald Trump said he might ask Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to step in to support Saudi Arabia as the Houthi movement steps up attacks across the Red Sea region.
Speaking to reporters, Trump warned that the Houthi forces "are behaving very badly" and added, "I think President Erdoğan will do what I asked."
Attacks expand beyond Yemen
The Houthis, who receive backing from Iran and control large areas of Yemen, have recently intensified strikes against commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait. Their campaign has also extended to targets inside Saudi Arabia.
Among the strikes was an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh that killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 300, officials said. The incident underlined the growing regional spillover as tensions between the United States and Iran have escalated.
The Houthi movement has been a central actor in Yemen's conflict since fighting began in 2014 between the group and government forces backed by Saudi Arabia. With the wider confrontation involving the United States and Iran, the war has taken on broader regional dimensions that Washington appears to be trying to counter through diplomatic and security appeals.
Photo: press material from the event
