Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis threaten to join war: ‘We are pulling out’
Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthis said on Friday they were prepared to intervene militarily if other countries joined the United States and Israel in their war against Iran or if the Red Sea was used to attack the Islamic Republic.
“We confirm that we have our finger on the trigger for direct military intervention” if Washington and Israel join new alliances against Iran and its allies or if the Red Sea is used for “hostile operations” against Iran, the rebel group’s military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a televised address.
Saree also said the Houthis were ready to act if what he called escalation against Iran and the “Axis of Resistance” continued, but did not say what form any intervention would take.
The warning raises the prospect of a broader regional confrontation, particularly given the Houthis’ ability to attack targets far beyond Yemen and disrupt shipping lanes around the Arabian Peninsula.
Iran’s Shiite allies in Lebanon and Iraq have already joined the war in the region, which began with US and Israeli attacks on Tehran. Despite their military capabilities and their geographical location on the Red Sea, the Houthis had not yet announced direct entry into the war.
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In his speech, Saree also said that the Houthis would not allow the Red Sea to be used for “hostile operations” against Iran or any Muslim country. He warned against further tightening of what he called the “blockade against Yemen.”
Saree called for an immediate halt to US and Israeli attacks on Iran and allied countries, including the Palestinian territories, Lebanon and Iraq, and urged the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree speaks at an anti-U.S.-Israel rally in Sanaa, Yemen, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
After the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, sparked the war in Gaza, the Houthis began attacking international ships in the Red Sea, claiming they were acting in support of the Palestinians.
The rebels also sent drones and missiles toward Israel, leading to retaliatory Israeli attacks and U.S. strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.
The Houthis stopped these attacks after a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October 2025.
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