The Iran-backed Houthis are threatening to renew attacks on Israel if the Gaza ceasefire collapses. This is important because it illustrates how Hamas and Gaza are still tied to pieces of the Iranian proxy network. When the October 7 attack happened, many of Iran’s proxies sought to join Hamas and attack Israel. This included attacks by Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq.
What’s important now is that some of the Iranian proxies appear to have been weakened and are no longer tying themselves to Gaza. Foremost among these is Hezbollah. However, the Houthis have not been deterred. This is despite several rounds of Israeli airstrikes on them.
Iranian state media said on February 12 that “Yemen’s Ansarullah movement Abdul Malik al-Houthi has warned that Yemeni fighters are ready to ‘attack Israel’ if the occupying regime resumes its military offensive in Gaza in violation of a ceasefire agreement.”
Latest threats from the Houthis
This is one of the latest threats by the group. The Houthis had been relatively quiet for several weeks as the ceasefire seemed to hold. It almost seemed like one could forget about the Houthis. They refuse to be put in a corner. They want to return to the center stage.
In a televised speech on Tuesday, al-Houthi stated, “Our fingers are on the trigger, and we are ready to respond immediately if the Zionist regime intensifies its attacks on Gaza,” the Houthi leader warned. The Houthi leader then threatened the “security, military, and economic consequences of a potential escalation of conflict, regardless of US support for the regime,” the Iranian state media IRNA report said.
The Houthis argue that any new Israeli invasion of Gaza will result in responses from Yemen. The Houthis are also speaking out against US President Donald Trump. The Houthi leader is asserting that the Israelis and US plan to “seize Islamic holy places; not only Al-Aqsa Mosque, but Mecca and Medina” and this is “also part of this US-Zionist project.”
Al-Houthi also “cautioned Arab leaders who might be willing to cooperate with the United States in executing this plan that Americans would not hesitate to abandon them when their interests dictate.”
This is important because the Houthis are appearing to threaten Saudi Arabia, the US and other countries in their rising rhetoric.
