Houthi leader vows ‘big’ response to any US military assault

The leader of Yemen’s Houthis threatened a “big” response to the US and its allies if they proceed with military action against his group, which has been attacking ships in the Red Sea for almost two months.

“We’ll confront the American aggression,” Abdul Malik Al-Houthi said in a televised speech on Thursday. “Any American attack won’t go unpunished.” 

Al-Houthi said the scale of the response would surpass an attack carried out by the Iran-backed group on shipping lanes Tuesday, which involved two dozen drones and a barrage of ballistic and cruise missiles. The assault was described by the US military as the largest to date.

The Houthi leader’s speech came as Washington and its Western allies weigh options for retaliation against the escalating sea attacks. Their challenge is to balance a need to deter further aggression against the risk of sparking a wider Mideast conflict, with Israel’s war against Hamas entering its fourth month. 

The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution condemning the Houthi attacks on ships in one of the world’s most vital commercial waterways, demanding they “immediately cease” these acts and release a cargo ship seized nearly two months ago. China and Russia abstained from the vote.

Iranian Alliance

Al-Houthi, whose group receives significant financial, military and intelligence support from Tehran and is eager to elevate its standing within Iran’s alliance of regional proxies, said attacks on ships would continue. He claimed they are only targeting vessels linked to Israel in an effort to force an end to its offensive in Gaza.

Read More: How Iran-Backed Groups Are Widening Israel-Hamas War: QuickTake

The Houthi leader claimed all other ships are safe as long as their countries were not part of or planned to join Operation Prosperity Guardian, an initiative launched by the US and its allies last month to counter the Houthis’ violence in the Red Sea.

“Direct confrontation with the American, British and Israeli is what we yearn for,” said Al-Houthi. “We won’t relent no matter how many martyrs we offer.” 

Thousands of fighters have been mobilized and all preparations have been made for a battle with the Americans, he said. The Houthis have already christened the potential battle as Al-Fateh Al-Maood, which in Arabic means “a divine conquest ordained by God.” 

The group has vowed to retaliate against Washington for the killing of 10 fighters at the end December, when the US Navy sunk three of the group’s speedboats.