Trump says Houthis 'behaving very badly' amid attacks on Saudi Arabia

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday issued a sharp condemnation of Yemen's Houthi rebels, accusing them of "behaving very badly" in renewed attacks against Saudi Arabia while avoiding a direct pledge of military retaliation. Speaking to reporters in Hamilton, Canada before departing for Alaska, Trump declined to confirm whether Washington would strike Houthi targets directly.

"They're behaving very badly," he said, echoing remarks he later posted on Truth Social where he warned the group had apparently forgotten the consequences of past American military action. "I thought they learned their lesson a year ago when we bombed the HELL out of them and, at their request, stopped," Trump wrote on his social media platform, adding that the Houthis had remained "silent for a long time" before resurfacing "probably at the behest of Iran."

Allegations of Iranian orchestration

He described the Islamic Republic as a "Failing Nation" and accused the rebels of deliberately targeting Saudi energy infrastructure to inflate oil prices ahead of the US electoral cycle. The former president also issued a characteristically blunt electoral warning to the rebel group, stating: "Somebody should explain to them that I'm not running in the Elections, I've already won, IN A MASSIVE LANDSLIDE, but I'll be there after the Elections, and I will never forget!"

Yemen conflict escalation

Trump's remarks come amid a broader military escalation in Yemen, where government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition launched the "Dawn of Yemen" operation earlier this month to recapture Houthi-held territories. The rebels have controlled Sanaa and much of northern Yemen since 2014, with the Saudi-led military intervention beginning in March 2015; the latest offensive follows the collapse of a 2022 truce last July.

The Houthi campaign has included recent strikes on Saudi energy facilities and civilian sites, including an attack on Riyadh's airport that killed 12 people, according to regional security sources. Yemeni government forces have intensified ground operations since early March as regional powers seek to restore the internationally recognized administration.