Houthi Envoy Warns Of US Responsibility In Any Red Sea Incident

The representative of Houthi rebels in Iran has issued a warning, stating that the United States would bear responsibility for any incidents occurring in the Red Sea.

Ibrahim Al-Dailami emphasized that the Houthis were determined to respond to what they viewed as US aggressions.

In an interview with ISNA news website in Tehran on Saturday, when asked about allegations of the Houthi militants serving as proxies for Iran in the Red Sea, Al-Dailami rejected these claims as baseless. He emphasized that the primary concern was the US support for what he referred to as the "crimes of the Zionist regime" in Gaza.

The United States and Britain launched an extensive airstrike against Houthi targets this week, after they repeatedly warned the militant group to stop its attacks on commercial shipping.

Iran's support for the Houthi rebels, ongoing for a decade, involves the supply of weapons and military expertise to the Muslim sect in Yemen, closer religiously to the Shia sect. While Iran has avoided direct military involvement in the Israel-Hamas conflict, its proxy groups, including Houthi militants, have escalated attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. This comes in response to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's call in early November for blockading Israel. In December, the US-led multinational naval coalition was launched in the Red Sea to protect commercial vessels, gaining support from various countries.

The UN Security Council recently passed a resolution urging the Houthis to cease Red Sea shipping attacks, with notable abstentions from Russia and China.