US warns Middle East conflict could 'escalate rapidly', urges citizens to reconsider travel

The United States on Sunday warned that fighting between Saudi Arabia and Houthis could “escalate rapidly” after a missile attack targeted Riyadh for the first time since the Yemen conflict resumed. “This military conflict has the potential to escalate rapidly,” the US State Department warned, adding American citizens outside the Middle East should “seriously reconsider travel to and through the region”. US President Donald Trump also cut short a weekend at Camp David, a secluded presidential complex in rural Maryland, to return unexpectedly to the White House on Saturday. The White House gave no explanation for the early return, which comes as a new threshold was crossed in the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, who control a large part of Yemen and are fighting government forces backed by a coalition.

Loud explosions rang out on Saturday in the Saudi capital, where AFP journalists saw a fuel tank bearing the logo of oil giant Aramco on fire near the airport. In recent weeks, the Houthis’ lightning offensive seizing swathes of Yemeni territory has left hundreds dead and, according to the UN refugee agency, displaced more than 110,000 people. The violence has already disrupted exports from Saudi Arabia , the world’s leading supplier of crude oil, as well as maritime traffic. CIA chief meets Egypt’s Sisi On Sunday, US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in a rare visit to Cairo. Sisi stressed “the paramount importance of settling regional crises through political and diplomatic tracks”, according to a presidency statement. The visit came days after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was also in the Egyptian capital , where he and Sisi urged safe and secure navigation through Bab al-Mandab,…