October 12th, 2026: Deadly Houthi Attack Could Bring America Into the Yemen War & Trump Calls for Zelenskyy's Replacement

Mike Baker (0:12)

It's Monday, the 12th of October. Welcome to The President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Alright, let's get briefed. Houthi rebels launch a deadly attack on Saudi Arabia as President Trump weighs direct US military intervention in Yemen. We'll have the details later in the show. A report from the Wall Street Journal is showing how hackers are turning everyday security cameras into weapons of espionage, using them to monitor military movements and gather intelligence. Plus, President Trump calls for new leadership in Ukraine, accusing President Zelenskyy of failing to end the war with Russia and blaming him for rising diesel prices in the US. Well, to be fair, the ongoing disruptions to the global energy markets from the Iran conflict could also have something to do with it. And Ukraine was invaded by Russia, so, well, there's that. And in today's Back of the Brief, speaking of Ukraine, they've got a new strategy in their war against Russia, targeting the country's digital infrastructure. But first, today's PDB Spotlight.

The war in Yemen, triggered by the Iranian-backed Houthis, is threatening to draw the US into another major military confrontation in the Middle East. This, following a devastating missile attack on Saudi Arabia's capital that killed 12 people, including an American citizen, and wounded more than 300 others. The attack occurred Saturday afternoon at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, where a missile struck a complex housing and two domestic terminals. Saudi authorities say several of the wounded remain in critical condition, while the airport has been forced to suspend operations, disrupting flights across the region. As we've been reporting, this attack was not an isolated incident. This was the third attack against Riyadh's main airport in just one week, with earlier strikes killing four people and damaging commercial aircraft. The Houthis have also been targeting other Saudi airports, military installations and oil infrastructure. And following Saturday's attack, the rebels renewed their warning to commercial airlines to stay out of Saudi airspace, threatening even more destructive attacks if Riyadh continues its military operations in Yemen.

Now the White House is considering getting directly involved. Asked Saturday whether American forces might join Saudi airstrikes against the Houthis, President Trump said, quote, We may. We are going to look at it. He added that a decision would come quickly. Later, Trump said he planned to speak with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, describing the airport attack as unacceptable. Meanwhile, on the battlefield in Yemen, the fighting is intensifying. We've been tracking the Houthi advance through southwestern Yemen over the past several weeks. Last month, the rebels launched a major offensive that saw them seize large stretches of Yemen's Red Sea coastline, including the port city of Moqa, the Dabab district, and the strategically important island of Perim. That last location is particularly significant. Perim sits inside the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. That's the narrow passage connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. It's one of the world's most important maritime chokepoints, and with Iran already threatening commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, control of Bab al-Mandeb has become even more consequential.

That Houthi advance prompted Saudi Arabia to launch a major counteroffensive earlier this month, providing extensive air support to the Yemeni government forces with the stated objective of retaking Houthi-held territory, including, eventually, the capital of Sana'a.

And now Saudi-backed forces are claiming some important victories. On Friday, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen declared that Bab al-Mandeb had been cleared of Houthi forces. Leaders of Yemen's Southern Traditional Council also announced that Param Island and surrounding coastal territory had been recaptured. However, the extent of those gains remains unclear. A military spokesman for Yemen's internationally recognized government said that roughly half the contested territory had been recaptured, suggesting that fighting is continuing in the area. The Houthis, meanwhile, claim they've inflicted heavy casualties on the advancing forces, including the destruction of more than 20 armored vehicles. Those claims have not been independently verified, and it's still unclear who controls all of Param Island. And while Saudi-backed troops may be gaining ground along the coast, the Houthis are still advancing elsewhere, including around the strategically important city of Daiz, where they've threatened critical supply routes. So despite claims of victory, the fighting is, well, far from over. And the events of the past week have exposed a serious vulnerability for Saudi Arabia. The kingdom is deploying considerable military resources against the Houthis, but it hasn't been able to prevent the rebels from launching increasingly destructive attacks against Saudi Arabia. Part of the problem is air defense. According to previous Associated Press reporting, Saudi Arabia has been running low on missile interceptors and has been requesting additional support from several countries. Which brings us back to Washington.