Houthi leader warns of escalation, expands naval blockade to US

Yemen's Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi declared Sunday that his forces will escalate attacks in response to US military operations, warning that drones and missiles will continue to target American warships, aircraft carriers and naval vessels.

"We will respond to escalation with escalation," al-Houthi said in a video statement, adding that Houthi forces had already launched missile and drone strikes following US airstrikes on Yemen.

"This is our choice, our decision, and our approach," he added.

He accused Washington of turning the sea into a battlefield, stating that "it is the US that seeks to impact maritime navigation when it turns the sea into a war zone."

Al-Houthi added that the US, like Israel, will now be included in the Houthi-imposed naval blockade "as long as its aggression persists."

"Our decision was clear—it initially targeted only the Israeli enemy. Now, the US will also be included in the blockade," he said.

"It is the duty of all countries to recognize who is posing a danger to navigation, who is threatening maritime security and the movement of ships,” he stressed, underlining: “It is the US."

Al-Houthi described both the US and Israel as sources of instability, saying they “are sources of evil and danger on a global scale and throughout the region.”

“Evil comes from them. Crime comes from them. Aggression comes from them," he added.

The Houthis warned Israel on March 7 to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip within four days or face renewed maritime operations against Israeli-linked vessels.

The US launched airstrikes on Yemen's Houthis as President Donald Trump warned that “hell will rain down” if the Iran-backed group continues its attacks on Red Sea shipping.

The Houthis have been attacking Israeli-linked ships passing through the Red and Arabian seas, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Gulf of Aden with missiles and drones since late 2023, disrupting global trade for what it said was a show of solidarity with the Gaza Strip.

The group halted attacks when a Gaza ceasefire was declared in January between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. But it threatened to resume the attacks when Israel blocked all aid into Gaza on March 2.