(LibertyInsider.org) – The drums of war are echoing not only throughout the Middle East but also within the US military this week. The leader of Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, has threatened to use the group’s forces to target American troops who attempt to take part in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Al-Houthi issued a statement on the matter through a live broadcast on local television station Al-Masirah on October 10. He indicated that the Houthi, officially known as Ansar Allah, were coordinating with other groups to join Hamas in the fight against Israel. “If the Americans … intervened militarily, we would be [prepared to launch] missile and drone strikes and other military options,” he said.
Al-Houthi’s warning comes as only the latest in a string of red flags within the Middle East in recent days. The leader of the Iran-backed Kata’ib Hezbollah Militia, Ahmad “Abu Hussein” al-Hamidawi, also threatened US troops on October 11.
The group also called upon the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to back Hamas against Israel, labeling those who abstain as “weak” Muslims aligning with the “Zionist entity.”
The US immediately began preparing to bolster Israel’s forces shortly after Hamas violently attacked the country on October 7. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed that he and President Joe Biden had already approved the repositioning of a number of ships, airplanes, and aircraft carriers to the Mediterranean, including the USS Gerald R. Ford. The government also sent munitions and a limited number of troops to the region to bolster Israel’s defense.
Just how closely the Houthi is coordinating with groups like Hezbollah to push back at US involvement in the current conflict isn’t entirely clear. However, the two groups have a longstanding history of strong relational ties. The Houthis also ran a fundraising campaign for Hezbollah in 2019, and they frequently focus on the same targets, such as Saudi Arabia.
Notably, the US considered the Houthis to be a terrorist group until 2021, when the Biden administration revoked that status. The change spurred criticism from human rights organizations on home soil and beyond, who accuse the group of recruiting child soldiers and religious persecution.
The audacity of the Houthi threats against American troops echoes a wider pushback from a growing coalition of Iranian proxy forces. Many of these organizations appear poised to further destabilize the region in the coming weeks, raising questions about whether this will drag the US into a more widespread conflict within the Middle East.
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