Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said on Friday they were ready to intervene militarily if other countries joined the United States and Israel in their war against Iran, or if the Red Sea was used to launch attacks against the Islamic Republic.
“We confirm that our fingers are on the trigger for direct military intervention” if any new alliances join Washington and Israel against Iran and its allies, or if the Red Sea is used for “hostile operations” against Iran, the group’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said in a televised speech.
Saree also said the Houthis were prepared to act if what he called the escalation against Iran and the “axis of resistance” continued, but did not say what form any intervention would take.
The warning raises the prospect of a broader regional confrontation, especially given the Houthis’ ability to strike targets far beyond Yemen and disrupt shipping routes around the Arabian Peninsula.
Iran’s Shiite allies in Lebanon and Iraq have already joined the war in the region sparked by US and Israeli attacks on Tehran. Until now, the Houthis have not announced any direct entry into the war, despite their military capabilities and geographic position overlooking the Red Sea.
In his speech, Saree also said the group would not allow the Red Sea to be used to carry out “hostile operations” against Iran or any Muslim country. He warned against any further tightening of what he described as “the blockade on Yemen.”
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Saree called for an immediate halt to US and Israeli attacks on Iran and allied countries, including the Palestinian territories, Lebanon and Iraq, and called for the implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
After the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas triggered the war in Gaza, the Houthis began attacking international shipping in the Red Sea, saying they were acting in support of the Palestinians.
The group has also launched drones and missiles at Israel, drawing retaliatory Israeli airstrikes and US strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.
The Houthis stopped these attacks following a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October 2025.
