Yemen (National Times) Yemen’s Houthi rebels issued a stern warning on Saturday, threatening to strike American warships in the Red Sea if the United States joins Israel in its ongoing military operations against Iran.
The threat comes just weeks after a fragile ceasefire was reached between the U.S. and the Houthis in May, under which both parties agreed to avoid targeting one another. However, the truce now appears to be under strain as regional tensions in West Asia intensify following Israel’s airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
“If the United States participates in any aggression against Iran alongside the Israeli enemy, our armed forces will respond by targeting U.S. ships and warships in the Red Sea,” said Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree in a televised statement.
The Iran-aligned Houthi movement has previously targeted commercial and military vessels linked to Israel in the Red Sea, particularly during the Israeli offensive in Gaza following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack.
Escalation in Iran-Israel Hostilities: Day 9
Saturday marked the ninth day of escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. According to senior Israeli military officials, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a wave of airstrikes overnight on Iran’s Isfahan nuclear facility, hitting two centrifuge production units.
While the strike triggered regional alarm, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) later confirmed that the targeted site did not contain any nuclear material and that no radiological damage had occurred.
Tehran’s Response and Nuclear Dispute
The current conflict escalated following Israel’s June 13 offensive dubbed Operation Rising Lion, which Tel Aviv claims was launched to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Tehran has vehemently denied any intentions of developing nuclear arms, maintaining that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful energy and medical purposes.
Israel, meanwhile, is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons but continues to maintain a policy of strategic ambiguity, neither confirming nor denying its arsenal.
As tensions mount and the possibility of broader regional involvement increases, the Houthi threat underscores the growing risk of the conflict spilling over into key maritime zones like the Red Sea—critical for global shipping and energy supply routes.
