Houthis announce plans to attack US ships in Red Sea if strikes on Yemen don't stop

Yemeni Houthi rebels from the Ansar Allah movement have announced their intention to target American military ships and commercial vessels in the Red Sea if the United States continues its strikes on Yemen. This statement was made by the movement's leader, Abdel-Malik al-Houthi, as reported by TASS.

"The decision to prohibit navigation in the Red Sea will extend to America as long as it continues its aggression. We will respond to escalation with escalation and will strike at aircraft carriers, military ships, and commercial vessels of the American enemy. If American aggression against our country continues, we will escalate further," al-Houthi stated in a message to his supporters, broadcast by Al Masirah TV.

On March 15, U.S. forces, under the command of President Donald Trump, began conducting intensive strikes on areas in Yemen controlled by the Houthis. According to U.S. Central Command, the operation aims to protect American interests and ensure freedom of navigation. According to the latest data from the Houthi health ministry, the strikes have resulted in 31 deaths and over 100 injuries.

In November 2023, following the escalation of conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Ansar Allah movement warned that it would bombard Israeli territory and prevent associated vessels from passing through the waters of the Red Sea and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait as long as fighting continued in the Palestinian enclave. The Houthi attacks on commercial vessels ceased in mid-January of this year when Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

After the first phase of the ceasefire agreement concluded, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to suspend humanitarian aid shipments to the Palestinian enclave. On March 7, al-Houthi announced that the Yemeni Houthis would resume "naval operations" against Israel if aid delivery to Gaza was not unblocked within four days. Once the ultimatum expired, the movement announced the resumption of attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.