Houthi Leader Threatens to Strike U.S. Warships

The leader of the Yemeni Houthi group, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, announced today, Wednesday, that "his group will launch missiles at U.S. warships if Washington intervenes further in its affairs or targets Yemen." In a televised speech, he stated: "We will make U.S. warships a target for our missiles, and we cannot fear the threat." He added, "If America wants to fight Yemen's stance in support of Palestine, it will be facing the entire Yemeni people." He warned, saying, "Americans should know that Yemenis are not afraid of them," and also cautioned other countries against participating in a multinational operation launched by the U.S. yesterday to protect trade in the Red Sea following an escalation of Houthi attacks on ships. Al-Houthi warned the Americans against "sending soldiers to Yemen," stating that they "will face a situation harsher than what they encountered in Afghanistan and Vietnam."