Iran-backed Yemeni Houthi rebels have issued threats stating that they would attack US warships and ships in the Red Sea if Washington officially becomes involved in the current conflict between Israel and Iran. The threat was issued on Saturday via a prerecorded video by Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree.
“If there is American participation in the aggression against Iran with the Israeli enemy, our armed forces will attack US warships and vessels in the Red Sea,” Saree declared, hinting at a possible escalation in an already tense region.
This follows as US President Donald Trump remains in contemplation regarding direct US military intervention in the Israel-Iran war. The conflict, which began on June 13 with Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military facilities, has already claimed at least 722 lives, 285 of them civilians, and injured over 2,500, reports a Washington-based Iranian human rights group.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also made a strong warning at an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) conference in Turkey, saying, “I think that it would be very, very dangerous for everyone” if the US became militarily involved.
Despite pressure from Israel to provide advanced “bunker-buster” bombs to target Iran’s fortified Fordo uranium enrichment facility, President Trump has indicated he will delay a final decision on military involvement for up to two weeks.
The Fordo site, located deep underground, is believed to be largely impervious to conventional airstrikes, leaving only highly specialized US weaponry capable of inflicting serious damage.
As the conflict risks spilling out of Iran and Israel proper, regional players such as the Houthis are positioning themselves to strike back if America gets directly involved fears of a wider regional war in the Middle East.
