Marine One touched down at the Ellipse shortly before 8 p.m. on Saturday. President Donald Trump stepped off a weekend at Camp David that his public schedule had said would run until Sunday, according to the White House press pool. The White House gave no reason for the early return.
The timing said enough. Hours earlier the State Department had renewed a broad warning for Americans in or traveling to the Middle East, after fresh attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on Saudi Arabia. War Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had spent the day at Texas A&M and gone to the Aggies’ game against Kentucky, also cut short his trip and came back to Washington early.
What the alert said
“Due to tensions in the Middle East, the security environment remains complex with the potential for unforeseen escalation,” the department said in a statement posted to X. It pointed directly at the Houthis. “Iranian-supported Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including civilian airports,” the alert read. “This military conflict has the potential to escalate rapidly.”
Americans were told to stay alert and to expect flight cancellations, airspace closures and other disruptions. The advisory did not tell anyone to leave the region. Those outside it were urged to “seriously reconsider travel to and through the region,” and travelers heading there to watch airport and airline operations closely. The Associated Press counted at least 11 U.S. embassies in the region that issued their own warnings.
The department also said the danger reached beyond the Middle East. “Iran and groups supportive of Iran may target other U.S. interests overseas or at locations associated with the United States and Americans throughout the world, including U.S. businesses and other institutions,” it said, noting that U.S. diplomatic facilities had already been targeted.
Riyadh under the missiles
The trigger was a Houthi attempt on Saturday to hit Riyadh with a ballistic missile. Saudi Arabia said it was intercepted and reported no casualties. It set off the capital’s first air raid alert since Saudi-Houthi fighting resumed in July, opening another front in the wider Iran war. Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the group had fired a “large number of ballistic and cruise missiles” and drones at Saudi targets, including Riyadh and Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu, The Hill reported. Those claims could not be independently verified.
Four days earlier, on Sept. 15, the department had updated its Saudi Arabia advisory, which stays at Level 3, “Reconsider Travel.” It cites the risk of Iranian drone and missile attacks, armed conflict and terrorism. Commercial flights still operate but have faced heavy disruption since hostilities between the United States and Iran began Feb. 28, and Iranian attacks have hit cities, airports, military bases, diplomatic facilities and energy installations across the kingdom. People living or working near energy sites and bases face added danger, the advisory said, as do those under falling debris from intercepted missiles and drones.
In Jerusalem, the U.S. Embassy issued its own alert, saying consular services in Jerusalem and at its Tel Aviv branch were running normally, Israel Hayom reported. It told citizens to check flight status at Ben Gurion and Haifa airports, locate the nearest bomb shelter or safe room, download the Home Front Command app, and keep water, food and essential medications on hand. It also advised them to avoid demonstrations and large gatherings.
