What to Know:
Houthi Commander Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din has threatened to wage war against the United States if strikes are carried out against Yemen, warning that American forces “will face something harsher than what he faced in Afghanistan and what he suffered in Vietnam.” This comes as the United States is reportedly weighing strike options against the Houthis to protect freedom of navigation in the region following weeks of attacks against commercial vessels.
What was Said:
In a speech released by the Houthis, al-Din said that the formation of Operation Prosperity Guardian “will not deter us at all from our firm, principled and moral position that we declared from the beginning alongside the Palestinian people.”
He warned that “We will not stand idly by if the American has a tendency to escalate further and commit foolishness by targeting our country or waging war against it,” adding that “American battleships, interests, and navigation” will be “a target for our missiles, drones, and military operations,” if strikes are carried out against Yemen.
“We trust in God and do not fear direct American threats and aggression. We are not among those who submit to the American threat of direct war.”
“What we liked best and what we had hoped for from day one was that the war would be directly between us and the Americans and the Israelis and not through its agents,” al-Din added, referring previous American support of the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis.
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He further called on Arab countries to not support the United States if a conflict breaks out, saying “leave us in direct war with the Israeli and American enemy, and if they want to dance, let them dance, but do not participate militarily or financially with them. If the Arabs want to be an audience that applauds the Americans, let them applaud, and if they want to dance on the remains of the victims, let them dance, but do not participate with the Americans in their war against us.”
Al-Din further warned that a war against the Houthis would be a war against all of Yemen and that “God willing, he will face something harsher than what he faced in Afghanistan and what he suffered in Vietnam.” He went on to add that “the American cannot imagine that he can strike here or there [in Yemen] and then send mediations to calm the situation. If the American is involved, then he is involved in every sense of the word…”
Additionally, al-Din mocked the United States, saying that they are wasting millions of dollars worth of munitions to counter drones that coast a few thousand dollars to make, stating that “We have the patience, thank God, to confront and confront the enemy and to remain steadfast in the face of attacks.”
“Our people have withstood nine years in the face of great aggression. The more our people war, the stronger they become, and the more enemies attack them, the more they develop their military capabilities to confront them. The enemy does not hope that our people will be subjected to submission. Our position is firm, but we advise others to beware of getting involved with the American and to leave him to get involved himself,” al-Din went on to add.