Militia official warns Washington of 'painful' response if it joins conflict

United States President Donald Trump criticized Yemen's Houthi group for "misbehaving" following a series of fatal attacks on Saudi Arabia's airports over the weekend, but offered no specific response yet.

Days ago, Trump said he was looking to join the fray and that they would "make a decision" as fighting intensified between the Saudi-backed Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen and the Houthis.

"Well, the Houthis are misbehaving very badly. No good," Trump told reporters late on Monday as he departed the White House for Ohio.

READ MORE: Houthis hit Riyadh's main airport again

A Houthi official on Monday warned the US it would receive a "painful response" if it entered the conflict in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia has reportedly requested Washington's help in dealing with the group as it weathers repeated attacks.

"If the US becomes involved in the aggression against Yemen, we will not deliberate over the decision to respond, rather, there will be a swift and painful response targeting the US and all its interests in the region," Houthi political bureau member Mohammed al-Bukhaiti told AFP in an interview.

The Saudi-led coalition on Tuesday said it was about to warn civilians to evacuate a location in Yemen's Houthi-controlled capital ahead of an operation there.

Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war since 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen. Saudi Arabia intervened in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.

Al Bukhaiti told Sky News in an interview that the group is not to blame for civilian casualties in Saudi Arabia over the weekend, accusing the Saudi authorities of "gambling with civilian lives".

He said it "is actually entirely the Saudis' responsibility", as the Houthi military had warned that Saudi Arabia's airspace and its airports are forbidden or are a no-fly zone.

"We have blockaded the Saudis just like they blockaded us. When the Saudis started it (with) Sanaa International Airport, we had suspended all civilian activities in the airport and we had suspended all employees attending the airport. So now the real question is why did Saudi Arabia not stop operations in these airports. Why did they gamble with civilian lives?" he said.

Deadly attacks

The attack on King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital of Riyadh killed 12 people on Saturday and injured more than 300 people, while one Pakistani resident was killed and 11 others were injured when the airport was struck again on Sunday.

Saudi Arabia's energy minister on Monday said the country had been tested but would mount a "serious" response after the string of attacks.

"Energy security can't be taken for granted," Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told an energy conference in Riyadh, as oil prices topped $105 a barrel.

The recent attacks led the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation, or GACA, to suspend airport operations. Since the sustained fighting, more airlines have suspended flights to and from Riyadh, including Lufthansa, Air India, and IndiGo.

ALSO READ: US considers joining attacks against Houthis

In an address to the opening of the Shura Council's annual session, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said the Gulf countries and the preservation of their sovereignty are "matters that cannot be compromised on" and reaffirmed Qatar's stance on resolving disputes through negotiation and diplomacy, Al Jazeera reported.

He also urged increased action to safeguard regional shipping lanes and critical supply networks, adding that "efforts must be doubled to secure navigation in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz and to protect energy facilities and civilian infrastructure".

In other developments, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said diplomatic efforts to achieve Iran's national interests are "seriously" being pursued at the international level as Tehran seeks to end Western sanctions and strengthen media engagement, Al Jazeera also reported.

Agencies contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at jan@chinadailyapac.com