A supporter of Yemen’s Houthi rebels carries his rifle during a rally in support of the group, in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday. (AP)
Iran-backed Houthi rebels are threatening a “swift and painful” response against the United States if American forces join Saudi Arabia’s military campaign against the group, challenging President Donald Trump as he considers expanding the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war with Iran to another front in the Middle East.
The warning comes after a series of Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, including repeated strikes on the kingdom’s main airport in Riyadh that have killed people and wounded hundreds over the past week.
The escalation has renewed fighting between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, which has backed Yemen’s internationally recognized government in a civil war that began more than a decade ago.
It also presents Trump with a decision about whether to widen U.S. military involvement in the regional conflict, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran on Feb. 28.
“If the U.S. becomes involved in the aggression against Yemen, we will not deliberate over the decision to respond, rather, there will be a swift and painful response targeting the U.S. and all its interests in the region,” Houthi political bureau member Mohammed Al Bukhaiti told Agence France-Presse, according to CBS News.
He also warned employees and workers at Saudi oil facilities and airports to stay away, saying the sites had become legitimate targets.
Trump said Monday that the Houthis were “misbehaving very badly,” but has not announced a decision to join Saudi Arabia’s military campaign.
“We may. We’re gonna look at it,” Trump said Saturday when asked whether the United States would participate in strikes against the group.
The president also accused the Houthis of acting at Iran’s direction and trying to push up global oil prices ahead of the U.S. midterm elections, Reuters reported Tuesday.
The potential intervention comes as Trump considers the broader course of the war with Iran. Newsmax has reported on the administration’s consideration of further military action against Tehran, raising the prospect that the conflict could expand even further.
The Houthis’ recent attacks have already increased pressure on Saudi Arabia and Washington.
The rebels claimed responsibility for a missile attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Monday, after Saudi forces said they intercepted a missile aimed at the capital. The group also claimed to have targeted a military base in southern Saudi Arabia with a drone, CBS News reported.
Earlier attacks struck the Riyadh airport complex repeatedly. A strike Saturday killed at least 13 people, including an American citizen, and wounded more than 300, according to Saudi authorities cited by CBS News and The Associated Press. Another strike on Sunday killed one person and injured others.
Saudi Arabia has been investigating how its air defenses failed to stop the deadly weekend attack.
The fighting has also spread inside Yemen. The Houthis have intensified their campaign against Saudi-backed government forces around Taiz, a major city in southwestern Yemen, while expanding their control near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Reuters reported Tuesday.
The strait connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is a critical passage for international shipping. A wider confrontation could threaten another route used to transport oil and other goods, adding to disruptions caused by the war with Iran and fighting around the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi Arabia has responded with military action of its own. On Tuesday, a Saudi-led coalition warned civilians to evacuate areas near Houthi-controlled fuel facilities west of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, ahead of possible strikes. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree threatened a “firm and painful” response against Riyadh if Saudi Arabia attacked the capital, The Associated Press reported.
The exchange of threats raises the possibility of further Saudi strikes and a direct U.S. role in the fighting.
The United States has provided intelligence, target identification, and planning support to Saudi Arabia but had not directly joined its strikes against the Houthis as of Tuesday, the AP reported.
Trump’s decision could therefore mark a significant change in the U.S. role in Yemen, drawing American forces into a confrontation with another Iran-backed group while the broader war with Tehran remains unresolved.
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