Yemen's Houthis Warn U.S. of Attacks If Washington Backs Saudi Strikes

Yemen's Houthi group has warned that it will attack American interests in West Asia if Washington steps in to support Saudi-led military actions or tries to open the Bab al-Mandab strait. Houthi military adviser Abed Mohammed al-Thawr stated that any American military intervention or attempt to take control of the shipping lane is a red line. The Houthis seized control of this narrow waterway, which serves as the gateway to the Red Sea, earlier this month.

Conflict Background

Fighting in Yemen resumed in July and ended a four-year truce. The Houthis report that Saudi Arabia has carried out hundreds of air strikes since then. The renewed conflict has pushed out Saudi-backed government forces from the Red Sea coast in battles resulting in hundreds of deaths. Houthi drones and missiles have also hit Saudi locations, including Riyadh, for the first time in years. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Yemen's government have both asked U.S. President Donald Trump for help against the Houthis.

Regional Stakes

The Houthi blockade has severely impacted Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, which also faces pressure from Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz. While the Yemen civil war started years before the U.S.-Iran conflict, the new fighting aligns local proxies of Washington and Tehran against each other while the main adversaries remain at a standstill in the Gulf. Adviser Thawr denied that the group takes orders from Iran, calling Iran an allied and friendly nation while maintaining that the Houthis make their own sovereign decisions.

Humanitarian Impact

The United Nations reported on Tuesday that the number of displaced people could rise from over 130,000 to more than 230,000 in the coming months. Thawr added that the group has enough power to punish Saudi Arabia and push it out of the oil and economic sectors as long as the airstrikes continue.