Yemen's Houthis threatened on Saturday to attack US vessels in the Red Sea, despite a recent truce, should Washington get involved in Israel's bombardment campaign against Iran.
Israel launched unprecedented attacks on Iranian nuclear and military sites last week, drawing retaliation from Tehran.
The United States, a key Israeli ally, has been weighing getting involved in the war.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree, whose group is backed by Tehran, warned in a video statement that "if the United States gets involved in an attack and aggression against Iran with the Israeli enemy," the Houthis "will target its ships and warships in the Red Sea."
The Houthis, who control swathes of Yemen, have launched missiles and drones targeting Israel and Israel-linked Red Sea shipping throughout the Gaza war, claiming solidarity with Palestinians.
After pausing attacks earlier this year during a two-month ceasefire in the Gaza war, which was sparked by an October 2023 attack by Iran-backed Palestinian group Hamas, the Houthis renewed threats to shipping in March over Israel's aid blockade of the Palestinian territory.
This triggered a response from the US military, which began hammering the Houthis with near-daily air strikes until Oman mediated a US-Houthi truce in May.
The Yemeni group has continued to target Israel, which carried out numerous strikes on Houthi-controlled areas.
"The Israeli enemy seeks complete control over the region... with open American support and American partnership, and is trying to remove the Islamic Republic of Iran because it considers it to be the greatest obstacle to achieving its plan," Saree said.
"Therefore, any American attack and aggression that supports the Israeli enemy against Iran... cannot be ignored."
AFP
Comments