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‘US interests will be targets’: Houthis warn Washington against supporting Saudi-led strikes
“... We will consider any American interests around us to be targets and we will not exclude anything,” Houthi adviser Thawr said.
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In a warning to the United States, a Houthi military adviser has said American interests will become targets if Washington extends support to Saudi Arabia or tries to unblock the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
“If America gambles on supporting Saudi Arabia with airstrikes or air support... We will consider any American interests around us to be targets and we will not exclude anything,” Houthi military adviser Abed Mohammed al-Thawr told AFP in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.
This comes even as the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen seized control of the Bab el-Mandeb, the gateway to the Red Sea, this month. The move came after a 2022 truce between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis unravelled. The blockade on the narrow strait has affected Saudi Arabia, world's top oil exporter, which had already been impacted after Iran's blocking of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has requested help from US President Donald Trump in the conflict against Houthis, according to US reports. Yemen's Saudi-backed government has also made a similar request to Washington, AFP reported citing a well-placed source.
‘If America dares to intervene…’: What the Houthi adviser said
Thawr told AFP that America's intervention in the conflict would be considered as a “red line”, and could draw pushback. “If America dares to intervene militarily with its fleets or tries to take control of Bab al-Mandab, it is a red line for them and anyone else... we will fight over it,” the Houthi military adviser said.
Thawr further warned that the Houthis would “close Bab el-Mandeb completely to American ships”. While denying receiving any directives from Iran, the Houthi adviser maintained that they are "one alliance and one body." “Iran is a friendly, allied, and brotherly country to us, but it does not direct us. We are independent in our decisions and in our sovereignty,” AFP cited Thawr as saying.
Also Read | Houthis claim Saudi strikes kill civilians in northwest Yemen, including child
Saudi-Houthi conflict escalates
The 2022 Saudi-Houthi truce collapsed in July this year after the Houthis allowed an Iranian flight to land directly at the Sanaa airport. Saudi-led forces then responded with an airstrike targeting the runway at Sana'a International Airport to prevent or punish the landing, thus ending the truce.
The Houthis then launched retaliatory strikes towards southern Saudi Arabia and eventually took over Yemen's Red Sea coast, leaving hundreds dead and heightening fears over global trade. The gains cemented the hold of Iran and its allies over the straits of Bab el-Mandeb and Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi Arabia, which backs Yemen's internationally recognised government, has sought to contain the Houthi advance with airstrikes. The Houthis on Tuesday accused Saudi of launching a wave of deadly strikes that killed civilians and prison inmates, AFP reported.
The Houthis have also struck Saudi territory, including a strike targeting the capital Riyadh for the first time in years. Saudi had, last week, accused the Houthis of targeting the holy city of Mecca, a claim the latter has denied.
