DUBAI/ADEN, Feb 13 (Reuters) – Yemen’s Houthis will immediately take military action if the U.S. and Israel try to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza, the Iran-backed group’s leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said in a televised speech on Thursday.
An Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza’s devastating 15-month-old war took effect on January 19 but has appeared close to collapse this week amid mutual accusations of violations.
U.S. President Donald Trump has infuriated the Arab world in presenting a plan to permanently displace Palestinians from Gaza and take over the enclave to turn it into a beach resort.
Houthi said his group would intervene with missiles and drones and attack vessels in the Red Sea if the United States and Israel tried to remove Palestinians from Gaza by force.
“I call on all the armed forces to be ready for military intervention if the criminal Trump carries out his threat,” Houthi said.
Who Are Yemen’s Houthis? Iran Regime-Allied Group Threatens Red Sea Shipping
The Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships off the shores of Yemen since November 2023 in support of Gaza Palestinian militants fighting Israel, disrupting global shipping trade and causing route changes and losses.
The Iran-aligned movement, which controls northern Yemen, has also frequently fired missiles at Israel over the past year in what it says is solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
(Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari and Jana Choukeir; editing by Sharon Singleton and Mark Heinrich)
