Senior Houthi official warns 'escalation is likely' with US, says they are acting independently from Iran

Senior Houthi official Jamal Amer, who serves as foreign minister for the Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels, vowed on Monday that the Houthis would continue attacking Israel due to its solidarity with Gaza. He also said the Houthis are acting independently of their Iranian patron.

"There will be no talk of any dialing down of operations before ending the aid blockade in Gaza. Iran is not interfering in our decision but what is happening is that it mediates sometimes but it cannot dictate things," Amer stated in a Monday interview that was published on Tuesday. 

The senior Houthi official also argued that Yemen is at war with the United States and that further military escalation is likely. 

"Now we see that Yemen is at war with the U.S. and that means that we have a right to defend ourselves with all possible means, so escalation is likely," he stated, while ignoring multiple Houthi attacks on U.S. and international vessels that preceded the U.S. military strikes. 

Amer also warned Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states against backing the United States amid the growing tensions in the region. Reuters reported that two senior Iranian officials had allegedly urged its Houthi proxy to de-escalate tensions with the United States. The senior Houthi official claimed the group had received the messages from the Iranian officials. 

It appears that the senior Houthi official’s statement was designed to protect its Iranian patron after U.S. President Donald Trump issued a serious warning to the Iranian regime that he would hold Tehran accountable for continued Houthi attacks. 

"Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, warning Tehran of "dire consequences" for any further attacks against U.S assets. 

Trump recently ordered extensive strikes on the Houthi terrorists due to their continued attacks on international shipping in the strategically important Red Sea region. 

“Today I have ordered the United States Military to launch decisive and powerful Military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen,” Trump stated on Truth Social.

“They have waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other ships, aircraft and drones,” the president continued. “Your time is up."

The Houthis have attacked international shipping in the Red Sea since October 2023, which has seriously undermined international trade and led to dramatically increased shipping costs as vessels are forced to use longer and more expensive routes. 

The Trump administration has vowed to use overwhelming force in order to neutralize the Houthi threat. 

However, the Houthis have so far not backed down and claimed two attacks on the USS Truman vessel in what the group describes as a response to “continued American aggression.”

Israeli aerial defenses intercepted on Tuesday evening a ballistic missile that the Houthi terrorists fired from Yemen against Israel. Air sirens were activated in southern Israeli cities such as Beersheba. 

Meanwhile, the Iranian regime has sent mixed messages concerning the Houthis. On one hand, Tehran seeks to distance itself from its terrorist proxy due to growing fears that it will provoke a U.S. military response against Tehran. However, on the other hand, senior Iranian officials have stressed that Tehran will not let Washington dictate its foreign policies.