By Arab News
The Houthi militia in Yemen pledged on Wednesday to participate in an anticipated Iranian reprisal attack on Israel, following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday.
Mahdi Al-Mashat, president of the militia’s Supreme Political Council, reiterated support for Iran, Hamas and other Iran-backed groups in the region as he ordered a three-day period of mourning and the lowering of flags after Haniyeh was killed by a suspected Israeli air strike, hours after attending the swearing-in ceremony for Iran’s new president.
The official Houthi news agency reported that Al-Mashat “reaffirmed Yemen’s unwavering support for Hamas and the resistance axis, emphasizing that the Zionist and American enemies must bear responsibility for the escalating conflict and targeted assassinations of resistance leaders.”
Since November, the Houthis have been targeting vessels in international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and other waters off the coast of Yemen with missiles, armed drones and drone boats. They say that are doing so in support of the Palestinian people, in an attempt to force Israel to halt its military operations in the Gaza Strip.
The Houthi attacks have also extended to a direct assault on Israel. On July 19, an explosives-laden drone launched by the militia hit a residential area in Tel Aviv, killing one person and injuring at least 10. Israeli authorities responded by attacking the sea port and oil-storage facilities in the Houthi-held Yemeni city of Hodeidah, killing six people and injuring at least 80, according to the militia.
Hamed Asem, the deputy governor of Sanaa province, said during an interview with Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV that the militia would join in reprisal attacks by regime in Tehran and its proxy groups in the region in retaliation for the assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran.
“Iran, us and the rest of the axis of resistance will all respond with deadly force,” he said.
In a message posted on social media network X, Houthi leader Mohammed Al-Houthi condemned the killing of the Hamas political leader as “a heinous terrorist crime and a flagrant violation of laws and ideal values,” but did not say whether the militia would assist Iran in any retaliation against Israel.
Israel has yet to claim responsibility for the assassination. But Yemeni experts believed that by targeting Haniyeh deep within Iranian territory, Israeli authorities intended to send a message to Tehran and its proxies that it can and will kill their leaders if they continue to attack Israel.
“Iran and proxies plunged the region in turmoil with total impunity because the international community has been reluctant to take strong action to hold them accountable,” Nadwa Al-Dawsari, a nonresident fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C., told Arab News.
“With recent assassinations, Israel has established its deterrence. It will go directly after top leaders if Iran and its proxies continue to target Israel.
“The Houthis have been the most reckless of Iran’s proxies, as evidenced by their attacks in the Red Sea. Given their past actions, it’s certainly possible they could attempt another attack against Israel.”
Meanwhile, the US Central Command said on Wednesday morning that it destroyed three remotely operated boats in the Red Sea with which the Houthis intended to attack international shipping.
The US and the UK have carried out military strikes on Houthi targets in Sanaa, Hodeidah and other provinces in Yemen held by the militia, targeting missile and drone launchers, storage facilities and military locations in an effort to weaken the militia and halt the attacks on shipping.
