Yemen’s Ansar-Allah movement, commonly referred to as the Houthis in the West, announced on Saturday that it would intervene militarily if the United States attacks Iran.
The statement was made hours prior to the U.S. conducting airstrikes on 3 of Iran's nuclear facilities.
At the moment, it is unsure if the U.S. is engaging in a strategic bombing campaign of Iran or if this was a targeted strike.
The group’s spokesperson, Yahya Saree, declared that Ansar-Allah forces would target all American naval and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait should Washington engage in war with Tehran.
This warning comes after a prolonged U.S. bombing campaign against Yemen, initiated by President Donald Trump on March 6th. The operation began after Ansar-Allah threatened to block Israeli shipping in the Red Sea in response to Israel violating the ceasefire agreement in Gaza by halting humanitarian aid deliveries.
Although President Trump made confident predictions about defeating the group, the campaign extended over seven weeks with limited strategic gains. Throughout the operation, the U.S. lost two F/A-18 Super Hornets and seven MQ-9 Reaper drones, raising concerns within the Pentagon and the White House about the high financial and material costs.
It was estimated that within 2 weeks of the operation, costs had already risen above $1 billion, while the total cost of the operation in the 2 months may have exceeded $10 billion in direct and indirect costs.
Ultimately, on May 6th, the U.S. halted its airstrikes after reaching an agreement with Sana’a. Under the deal, Ansar-Allah agreed to cease targeting American naval and commercial ships. However, the deal did not include a cessation of attacks on Israel, which Ansar-Allah continues to strike with missiles while maintaining its blockade of Israeli-bound shipping in the Red Sea.
Since October 2023, the U.S. has lost a total of three F/A-18s and at least 22 MQ-9 Reaper drones in the region as a result of Ansar-Allah’s operations. These efforts have effectively shut down Israel’s Port of Eilat, which declared bankruptcy in July 2024 due to the ongoing blockade.
Ansar-Allah’s renewed threat underscores the potential for a broader regional escalation should the U.S. pursue direct military action against Iran.