An aging member of Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement has declared the movement’s preparedness to intervene on behalf of Iran against Israel, as it had previously done in solidarity with Gaza. Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the political bureau of the Houthis, told Al Jazeera Mubasher TV on Tuesday that coordination is continuing between the Houthis and Tehran as their military confrontation with Israel escalates.
Al-Bukhaiti said the group remains strongly committed to Iran and is willing to move as it did when Israel launched its offensive against Gaza. The declaration came after a Houthis statement on Sunday in which they admitted to targeting Israel, and Iran, in a coordinated effort, a rare and public confirmation of joint direct military action.
The comments portend the regional conflict’s possible spread, with Iran’s regional allies in the Middle East seeming more and more mobilized in reaction to Israel’s actions. The Houthis’ statement reinforces their strategic coordination with Tehran in the escalating confrontation.
