SANAA/TEHRAN (dpa-AFX) – According to a leading member of the Houthi movement, Yemen is ready to wage war against the USA. The militant Islamist group’s senior member, Ali al-Kahum, said in an interview with Iran’s state agency Irna published on Monday: “The Yemeni leadership, the armed forces and the people are fully prepared to enter into a direct and all-out war with the Great Satan to come in to defend Palestine.” After the latest US airstrikes on Houthi targets, Al-Kahum warned: “After this aggression, Yemen will turn into a graveyard for the Americans.”
More than three months after the start of the Gaza war, there are growing concerns that the conflict is turning into a regional conflagration. The Shiite and Iran-backed Houthis have repeatedly attacked ships in the Red Sea on their way to Israel in recent weeks. The US and allies then bombed the militant Islamist group’s positions in Yemen.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hussein Amirabdollahian again rejected allegations that his country was directly involved in the attacks. “The resistance forces in the region, including Yemen, act independently and within their interests,” the minister said on Sunday, according to Irna. Iran does not give orders. The Houthis, along with other groups in the region allied with Iran, are part of the so-called “axis of resistance,” a network in the fight against Israel.
According to experts, the recent bombings in Yemen could even strengthen the Houthis in their position. “Military action by the UK and the US will only increase support for the Houthis in Yemen given the general rejection of foreign intervention,” said an analysis by the online portal “Amwaj”. The airstrikes are expected to increase the Houthis’ standing in the Arab world as the movement has successfully exploited pro-Palestinian sentiment since the Gaza war broke out.
The Islamic Republic of Iran is the only country in the world that maintains official diplomatic relations with the Houthis. The Shiite Houthis have taken over large parts of Yemen’s north in their uprising that has been ongoing since 2014, and they also control the capital Sanaa. Tehran supports the group. Yemen is suffering from one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world, primarily due to the consequences of the civil war./arb/DP/mis