US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he might ask Turkey to intervene against Yemen’s Houthis in support of Saudi Arabia, predicting that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan would comply with his request.
“I might do it,” Trump said when asked about seeking Turkey’s participation in a response to the Houthis, speaking to reporters outside the White House before departing for Alaska.
He described Erdoğan as a friend and expressed respect for him before adding, “President Erdogan, I think, would do as I ask.”
The remarks followed Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, with strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killing at least 13 people and injuring more than 300.
The Houthis, an armed movement backed by Iran, control much of Yemen, Saudi Arabia’s southern neighbor, and seized the capital of Sanaa in 2014.
A Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year to support Yemen’s internationally recognized government, beginning a war that has killed civilians, destroyed infrastructure and created a humanitarian crisis.
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement on August 7, pledging to treat an armed attack on one member as an attack on all.
Erdoğan announced Monday that his government was preparing to submit the pact to Turkey’s parliament for approval in the coming days.
The three countries agreed at an emergency meeting in Riyadh on October 5 to implement their defense commitments and arrange military deployments to Saudi Arabia, subject to each country’s laws.
Their joint statement gave no troop numbers, deployment dates or breakdown of each country’s contribution.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan ruled out sending Turkish troops abroad to launch attacks under the pact on October 8 while explaining that officials were assessing possible contributions to Saudi Arabia’s air defenses.
Turkey was providing mainly defensive and technical assistance, with support involving military equipment, intelligence sharing and weapons systems, Reuters reported on October 7, citing Turkish and US officials.
Özgür Özel, leader of Turkey’s main opposition New Party, warned on October 6 that signing a defense pact with a country at war could make Turkey a participant, accusing the government of serving Trump’s regional agenda.
Erdoğan reiterated Turkey’s support for Saudi Arabia during a telephone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday, a statement from his office confirmed.
Trump also accused the Houthis of seeking to push up oil prices before the November 3 US midterm elections, alleging in a Truth Social post that they had resumed attacks at Iran’s direction.
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