Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels are ready to join the war in support of Iran if the US and Israel intensify their attacks. An official of the Houthi government has told this to the American media.
Yemen’s Houthis have previously disrupted shipping through the Bab al-Mandeb; They have attacked merchant ships in this strait and in the Red Sea, causing great disruption to trade. Although some analysts expected the rebel group to join the war in support of Iran, this has not happened so far.
‘Yemen will join the war in support of Iran’
“Yemen, under the leadership of Ansarullah (referring to the Houthis), will join the war in support of Iran. It is our religious, moral and humanitarian responsibility to do so,” Mohammad Mansour, undersecretary of the Ministry of Information, said in a text message sent by the ministry to US media. He further said that the timing of engagement would depend on an “assessment of the armed forces” as well as discussions with Tehran and its allies.
“If Washington and its allies rush to escalate the situation against Iran, Yemen will intervene and stop them in the first place, attacking them all-out,” Mansour said. He also said closing the Bab al-Mandeb Strait off Yemen’s coast, a vital passage connecting the Red Sea to global shipping routes, was a “possible option.”
Israelis will also have to face consequences
He further said “The consequences will be borne by the American and Israeli aggressors as well as the capitals that have been complicit and silent in this matter.”
Iran has already closed the Strait of Hormuz – the main route for transporting about 20% of the world’s oil and natural gas – for nearly four weeks, causing massive panic in global oil markets.