Iran-backed Houthis warn of potential confrontation with US, Israel

The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen have warned that they will not remain on the sidelines in the Middle East conflict and are preparing for a potential confrontation with the United States and Israel, according to a report by the Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese outlet Al-Akhbar.

The report said the Houthis are monitoring U.S. naval movements in the Red Sea, where the U.S. Navy has deployed the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford along with two destroyers.

An unnamed Houthi source told the newspaper that if fighting with Iran resumes, the group could expand the conflict into the Red Sea, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean, adding that “the American show of force in the Red Sea will not last."

Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi warned in a televised speech that his forces could expand the conflict “if the enemy escalates again,” referring to the U.S. and Israel. He stressed “the importance of unity in confronting the American-Israeli project in the region,” adding that his Sanaa-based regime “will not remain neutral in this conflict.”

The Houthi militia fired several largely symbolic missiles at Israel during the recent Operation Roaring Lion against Iran. Unlike Tehran’s main proxy, Hezbollah in Lebanon, however, the Houthis remained largely on the sidelines during the coordinated U.S.-Israeli campaign.

Bloomberg reported last month that Tehran had pressed the Houthis to join the fight and expand the theater of war, but the group was internally divided and ultimately chose not to enter the broader conflict.

It remains unclear whether the Houthi leader’s recent statement reflects a genuine shift in intent or is aimed at placating the group’s patron in Tehran.

Veteran Israeli mariner, Capt. Haim Shaham warned earlier this month that Iran’s attempt to “extort payments” in the Strait of Hormuz threatened global trade. Shaham assessed that if Tehran is not stopped, this conduct would likely inspire other players, including the Houthis, to act similarly, potentially blocking the strategically significant Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea. 

Yemeni military commentator Mujib Shamsan, who is affiliated with the Houthi-run Defense Ministry in Sanaa, said the U.S. Navy’s return to the Red Sea region is likely linked to Washington’s growing concern that the Houthis could attempt to close the Bab el-Mandeb and thereby choke international trade passing through the Red Sea.

In a direct warning to Washington, Shamsan argued that “aircraft carriers are no longer the crown jewel of American power, but have become easy targets.” He also stressed that the Houthis “will not allow the Red Sea to be used for hostile actions against Iran or the axis countries.”

The Houthis began attacking Israel and international commercial vessels following the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Over the past two and a half years, the group has fired hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel.

Israel’s air defenses have intercepted the vast majority of incoming Houthi projectiles. However, some missiles and drones have evaded those defenses, killing and wounding several Israelis and causing material damage.

In response, the Israeli Air Force has struck strategic Houthi targets in Yemen and eliminated much of the group’s leadership.

Like its patron in Tehran, the Houthis openly call for Israel’s destruction, and the jihadist group’s slogan is "God is great, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam."