Houthis threatened Saudi Arabia with responsibility for supporting US attacks
Photo: Yemeni Houthis voiced threats against Saudi Arabia (wikimedia.org)
The Houthis have renewed threats against Saudi Arabia and warned the kingdom against supporting US strikes on terrorist targets in Yemen, informs Bloomberg.
"We have sent a message to Saudi Arabia that it will be a target if it allows American fighter jets to use its territory or airspace in their aggression on Yemen," said Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, a member of the Houthis’ Supreme Political Council.
He signaled increasing tension in relations between the Houthis and the Saudis, stating that the kingdom should take more serious steps towards a peaceful plan. He added that negotiations cannot progress until the kingdom agrees to resume payment of certain salaries, electricity supplies, and other services in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia, bordering Yemen, has not joined the ongoing airstrikes and the military-maritime operation led by the United States aimed at ensuring the safe passage of commercial vessels through the southern part of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The kingdom is seeking a peaceful agreement with the Houthis to end the nearly decade-long civil war in Yemen. Since 2022, the parties have been in a fragile ceasefire.
In 2015, the government of Saudi Arabia led a military campaign against the Houthis with support from the United States. In response, the insurgents regularly struck the kingdom's territory. For instance, in 2019, rebel attacks temporarily suspended about half of Saudi Arabia's oil production.
However, Riyadh now sees peace in Yemen as key to preserving stability in the Persian Gulf region and advancing its plans for extensive economic transformation.
Attacks by Yemeni Houthis and the response of Western countries
The Houthis, formed in the 1990s as a Shiite group to combat the corrupt Yemeni government, derive their name from their founder, Hussein al-Houthi, who was eliminated by the Yemeni army in September 2004. The insurgents consider themselves part of the "axis of resistance" against Israel, the United States, and the West, led by Iran.
As of today, the Houthis control most of the north and west of Yemen. In November 2023, terrorists began attacking civilian commercial vessels in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea using drones and missiles. In this way, the rebels seek to blackmail Western countries, expressing solidarity with the Palestinian Hamas group fighting Israel in the Gaza Strip.
In response to Houthi attacks, since January 12, 2024, the United States and the United Kingdom, with support from the EU military coalition, have been regularly striking Houthi targets in Yemen. However, despite the damage inflicted, the terrorists continue to attack merchant vessels.
On March 23, the Houthis attacked an oil tanker under the Panamanian flag in the Red Sea. After being hit by an unknown projectile, the vessel caught fire.
Recently, fighter jets from the US Navy aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower struck three Houthi underground hideouts near Yemen.
At the same time, the terrorists promised China and Russia not to shell their ships passing through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
