A source within Yemen's Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, has shared with Newsweek a new warning for Israel after the group was hit by new airstrikes amid a conflict that has consumed the Middle East for more than 15 months.
"Our hand is longer than the hand of Israel, and we will continue our operations without stopping until the aggression on Gaza stops," the Ansar Allah source told Newsweek. "And we will continue targeting the Zionist war criminals."
The source added: "Our operations are ongoing and the response to the Israeli, American and British aggression is also ongoing. And we will not leave Gaza no matter what the challenges are and the outcome is for the righteous."
The remarks came shortly after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced new airstrikes targeting several sites across Yemen, including the Hizaz power station in Sanaa, military infrastructure in Al-Hodeidah and port facilities in Ras Isa, on Friday. The attacks came in response to Ansar Allah's ongoing campaign of missile and drone strikes being waged against Israel due to its ongoing conflict with the Palestinian Hamas movement in Gaza.
"The State of Israel has the right and obligation to defend itself," the IDF said.
Why It Matters
Ansar Allah has emerged as one of the most powerful factions of the Iran-led Axis of Resistance, which joined the war launched by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023. In addition to launching missiles and drones against Israel, the group has also targeted commercial vessels accused of doing business with its foe.
"The Houthi terrorist regime is a central part of the Iranian axis of terror," the IDF said in its statement on Friday. "And their attacks on international shipping vessels and routes continue to destabilize the region and the wider world."
While other fronts have quieted with the ceasefire signed between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement in November and the fall of the Iran-aligned Syrian government the following month, Ansar Allah has defied strikes conducted by Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States to maintain operations until a ceasefire was reached in Gaza.
Ansar Allah has also announced direct attacks against the enhanced U.S. military presence in the region, downing several advanced U.S. drones over the past year and claiming a new operation against the Nimitz-class USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and other U.S. warships on Friday.
What to Know
Reports initially emerged Friday that the U.K. and the U.S. had participated in the Israeli strikes, however, a U.S. defense official denied any direct U.S. role in the operation.
"We are aware of the reports of strikes in Yemen and the messaging allegedly put out by the Israeli officials," the U.S. defense official told Newsweek. "However, we can confirm that the U.S. did not participate in any recent strikes today."
Newsweek has reached out to the U.K. Defense Ministry for comment on Friday morning.
On Wednesday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced "multiple precision strikes against two Iranian-backed Houthi underground Advanced Conventional Weapon (ACW) storage facilities within Houthi-controlled territories of Yemen."
"The Houthis used these facilities to conduct attacks against U.S. Navy warships and merchant vessels in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden," CENTCOM said at the time.
What People Are Saying
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in a statement issued on Friday: "While the Houthi terrorist regime operates as an independent terrorist organization, it relies on Iranian cooperation and funding to attack the State of Israel and its citizens. The IDF will continue to operate at any distance against any threat to the State of Israel and its citizens."
Ansar Allah military spokesperson Yahya Saree during a speech on Friday: "The Yemeni Armed Forces, with the help of God Almighty, carried out several military operations during the past forty-eight hours, the most prominent of which was targeting the American aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman and a number of its warships in the northern Red Sea region with a number of cruise missiles and drones. The was forced with its warships to leave the northern Red Sea region."
He added: "The Yemeni Armed Forces carried out an operation yesterday targeting a number of targets belonging to the Israeli enemy in the occupied Jaffa region with three drones. They were able to reach their targets successfully, thanks be to God."
What Happens Next
While hopes of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas were initially raised by both sides last month, the two warring parties appear to remain deadlocked in their opposing demands.
And with just 10 days until President-elect Donald Trump takes office, the region awaits his warning that "all hell will break loose in the Middle East" if a deal to release around 100 hostages still held by Hamas was not reached before his inauguration.
In the absence of an agreement, Ansar Allah may prove to be one of the most challenging components of the Middle East crisis for Trump as their maritime warfare has also substantially raised shipping costs, driving up the price of consumer goods worldwide. In prior comments shared with Newsweek, the group has previously appealed to Trump directly to put an end to the conflict for the sake of the U.S. economy.
English (US) ·