Anna Skinner
A Houthi rebel leader has warned of retaliatory efforts against American warships if the Yemeni group is targeted by the U.S. as part of a newly launched operation to counter attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
The warning comes a day after Houthi rebels based in Yemen attacked two commercial shipping vessels south of the Red Sea. A spokesperson for the Houthi rebels said on Monday they had attacked two vessels that had alleged links to Israel, Newsweek reported.
In response, the U.S. is leading a new international force, Operation Prosperity Guardian, to ensure that the region remains safe for commercial shipping, despite the Houthi rebel attacks.
Houthis and Iranian militia groups have launched rockets at Israel since the war in the region began following Hamas' surprise attack on the country on October 7, Reuters reported. The Yemeni group has also increased its attacks on commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea and has urged ships to avoid traveling to or from Israeli ports.
A number of companies have said in recent days that they are halting passage through the Red Sea amid fears of Houthi attacks, which can add days or weeks to shipping times.
A Houthi leader warned the Washington against escalating the situation in the region. The U.S. will conduct joint patrols in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden alongside Britain, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the Seychelles and Spain.
The guided missile destroyer USS Carney patrols the waters of the Arabian Gulf as part of Operation Southern Watch. A Houthi leader has warned the U.S. against retaliatory efforts in the Red Sea.
"We will not stand idly by if the Americans are tempted to escalate further and commit foolishness by targeting our country or waging war against it," Abdel-Malik al-Houthi said in a televised statement.
"Any American targeting of our country will be targeted by us, and we will make American battleships, interests, and navigation a target for our missiles, drones, and military operations."
Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. military's Central Command by email for comment.
Al-Houthi also accused the U.S. of aiding Israel in its ongoing military offensive against Hamas. Tensions have heightened in the Red Sea after a surprise attack on the country by Hamas on October 7 resulted in approximately 1,200 Israeli deaths, The Associated Press reported, and fighting between the two has continued since. Nearly 20,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict erupted.
Earlier this month, the U.S. vetoed a United Nations humanitarian ceasefire resolution regarding the conflict.
"The American fought our people with humanitarian aid, even with food that was provided through the World Food Program, and yet he threatens more," Al-Houthi said in the statement.
"Whatever the Americans do against our people, we rely on God and confront the Americans. We prefer a direct war with the Americans and the Zionist enemy."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country is "at war" and has cut off food, fuel, electricity, and medicine supplies to Gaza, home to an estimated 2.3 million people.
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