U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he may seek President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's help in addressing escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, expressing confidence that the Turkish leader would respond positively to such a request.
"President Erdoğan, I think, would do as I ask," Trump told reporters before departing for a campaign trip to Alaska.
Trump did not elaborate on what role he might ask Erdoğan to play or indicate whether Washington had formally approached Ankara about possible involvement.
During the conversation, Erdoğan strongly condemned the Houthi attacks on Saudi territory and expressed his condolences over the loss of life.
Erdoğan reaffirmed Türkiye’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia, stressing that Ankara would continue to stand by Riyadh amid ongoing regional tensions.
The Turkish president also expressed confidence that Saudi Arabia would overcome the challenges posed by the attacks.
Asked whether Washington had decided to launch strikes against Houthi targets, Trump declined to give a direct answer but condemned the Iran-backed group's recent actions.
"They're behaving very badly," he said.
Trump's remarks came amid escalating hostilities in Yemen, where the Houthis have intensified attacks against Saudi Arabia as the repercussions of the eight-month U.S.-Iran war spread across the Middle East.
The group recently targeted King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in attacks that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300 others, forcing authorities to close the city's airspace.
The Houthis have also stepped up attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the strategically important Bab al-Mandab Strait, raising concerns over regional security and international shipping routes.
The latest escalation follows renewed fighting between the Houthis and forces loyal to Yemen's internationally recognized government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition.
Earlier this month, Yemeni government forces launched an offensive dubbed "Dawn of Yemen," aimed at recapturing Houthi-controlled territories and restoring government authority.
The Houthis have controlled the capital, Sanaa, and several other provinces since 2014, when the country's civil war intensified. A Saudi-led coalition intervened militarily in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.
Fighting intensified again in July following the breakdown of a truce established in 2022, further complicating efforts to secure a lasting political settlement.
