Abdulmalik al-Houthi urged Arab and Muslim-majority states to cut political and economic ties with Israel [Getty]
The leader of Yemen’s Houthi movement said his group will continue to confront US aggression against Yemen, after Washington resumed strikes against the group over its Red Sea blockade on Israel.
Abdulmalik al-Houthi pledged that the Houthis will “resume the escalation at its highest levels against the Israeli enemy” over its war on Gaza.
“We will do everything we can against the Israeli enemy and to support the Palestinian people. We will confront any American support [for Israel] that will involve targeting our country,” he said on the Houthis’ Al-Masirah TV channel.
The Houthi leader slammed Israel for breaking the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, while also taking a shot at Arab states over their alleged inaction on the matter.
Al-Houthi said Israel is “reassured that there will be no serious action from the Arab side, even at the minimal level”, adding that “some Arab regimes are inciting the enemy to continue its aggression against the Gaza Strip, and this is a dangerous matter that emboldens the Zionists”.
He also urged Arab and Muslim-majority nations to sever political and economic ties with Israel.
Early on Wednesday, Al-Masirah reported that the US had “expanded the scope of its targeting” of Yemen, attacking areas in the provinces of Saada and Hodeidah, among other places. US Central Command (CENTCOM) has not confirmed the attacks.
The escalation in the Red Sea follows the Houthis’ warning on 12 March that they would resume attacks on Israeli vessels in response to the siege on Gaza during the now-near-collapsed ceasefire between Hamas and Tel Aviv after Israel killed hundreds in air strikes.
On Tuesday, the Houthis said they would expand their targets in Israel in the coming hours and days unless the “aggression” against Gaza ceased.
The group claimed that it targeted an Israeli air base with a ballistic missile without providing evidence, while another projectile landed in Egyptian waters.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea, without providing evidence, said that the group successfully targeted the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and other US warships with missiles and drones, thwarting an American assault.Â
US ramps up attacks, threats
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump threatened to hold Iran accountable for any future Houthi attacks, warning of severe consequences.
The US State Department said on Monday it will provide a $15 million reward for information on the sources of Houthi financing. Posting on X, the department’s ‘Reward’s for Justice’ page, it said tips can be sent via several mediums, including WhatApp and Telegram.
“Ansarallah (Houthis) has launched multiple attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea, killing civilians and forcing rerouting of maritime traffic,” they wrote. “These Iranian-trained and armed terrorists have also attempted hijackings and launched shore-to-ship missiles against vessels from US and allied countries.”
The US carried out overnight airstrikes on Al-Jaouf and Hodeidah on 15-16 March, killing around 53 people.
The Houthis, who have controlled much of Yemen for more than a decade, have launched scores of drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since the outbreak of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023.
US warships have been attacked 174 times and commercial vessels 145 times since 2023, according to the Pentagon, putting a major strain on a sea route that normally carries about 12 percent of world shipping traffic.
