Houthis ready to retaliate if attacked during Gaza truce

Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Sunday warned forces opposing them in the Red Sea against “consequences» what any attack in their country would have during the truce in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas. These Iranian-backed rebels, who control large parts of Yemen and the capital Sanaa, also claimed responsibility for an attack on several warships including the American aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman.

The Houthis “warn enemy forces in the Red Sea of ​​the consequences of any aggression against our country during the period of ceasefire in Gaza“, the rebels said in a statement and a video on X. The Houthis “will face any aggression with precise military operations against these forces without (…) red lines“, they added. The leader of the rebels, Abdel Malek al-Houthi, already threatened on Thursday to continue his attacks against Israel if the latter did not respect the truce agreement.

The first phase of the truce in Gaza is due to last 42 days and come into force on Sunday at 06:30 GMT.

Attacks on Israel

Since November 2023, the Houthis have carried out attacks off the coast of Yemen against ships they consider linked to Israel, saying they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians in the context of the war in the Gaza Strip. These attacks disrupted traffic in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, a key maritime area for global trade, prompting the United States to establish a multinational naval coalition and strike rebel targets in Yemen, sometimes with aid from the United Kingdom.

On Sunday, the Houthis claimed to have targeted the US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and others “warships» using drones and cruise missiles, which the United States has not confirmed. “The American aircraft carrier was forced to leave the theater of operations“, according to the Houthi statement.