Houthis repeat threats against US over strikes against Iran

Yemen’s Houthis threatened to attack American forces in the Red Sea following US attacks on the Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan on June 21. The US military struck these facilities after Israel began its campaign on June 12 to eliminate the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program and remove the threat of the regime’s ballistic missile arsenal.

An official statement  by the Houthis on June 22 “affirmed the Republic of Yemen’s commitment to the Yemeni Armed Forces’ declaration of ‘its readiness to target American ships and warships in the Red Sea, in defense of the nation and to protect national security,’ noting ‘Yemen’s continued support for Palestine and its standing with any Arab or Muslim country subjected to Zionist or American aggression.’”

The statement continued, on behalf of the Houthi Shura Council, to express “full solidarity with Iran and its right to respond and deter the arrogance of the American-Zionist aggression and its audacity to commit crimes against the brotherly Iranian people and violate its territorial sovereignty, in light of its supportive stance towards the Palestinian people and their just cause.”

On June 21, the Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree issued a statement hours before the American strikes that threatened the United States if it entered the Israel-Iran war. “If the US becomes involved in an attack and aggression against Iran with the Israeli enemy, the armed forces will target its ships and warships in the Red Sea,” Saree said.

A ceasefire has been in place between the United States and the Houthis since May 6. In the agreement, both sides committed to stop attacking each other following a seven-week campaign by the United States that hit over 1,000 targets in Houthi-controlled Yemen. The US effort aimed to restore American deterrence and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.

Prior to the US campaign, which began in March 2025, the Houthis launched hundreds of attacks on commercial ships and US military vessels. The group’s terrorism in the Red Sea after 2023 was carried out in solidarity with Hamas, following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel. The Houthis also launched over 300 drones and missiles at Israel between October 7 and the Gaza ceasefire in January 2025.

So far, the Houthis have been the only Iranian proxy to claim attacks against Israel or US forces since Israel began striking Iran. The Houthis have coordinated missile launches with Iran in response to Israeli strikes against the Islamic regime.

The Yemeni terrorist group has launched over 50 missiles and drones at Israel since the end of the Gaza ceasefire in March 2025. Only one attack struck Israel, hitting near Ben Gurion International Airport.

Bridget Toomey is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies focusing on Iranian proxies, specifically Iraqi militias and the Houthis.