Houthi forces declared the US military had an "illegal presence" in the area and warned of attacks on its bases.
Nasreddin Amer, deputy director of the Houthi media agency, said on January 13 that recent US and UK airstrikes on Yemen "will immediately lead to retaliation" from the force.
"The US has an illegal presence in the region, so we consider US military facilities here to be legitimate targets for attack," Mr. Amer said, warning that this force would attack US warships in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
Earlier, Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam said the airstrikes over the past two days had not significantly affected the force's military capabilities or its ability to prevent Israeli-linked ships from passing through the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.
The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower transits the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East in December 2023. Photo: US NAVY
The US launched two airstrikes against Yemen in two consecutive days. In the first wave of strikes on January 12, the US, in coordination with the UK, used more than 150 missiles and guided bombs to bomb nearly 30 locations in Yemen, including the capital Sanaa.
The second airstrike took place in the early hours of January 13 and was smaller in scale. The US announced that it acted unilaterally and did not disclose the number of weapons used. The Houthis asserted that the attack did not cause any damage or casualties.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on all parties not to escalate the situation in the region. Khaled Khiari, UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, warned that the situation in the Red Sea and the conflict in the region were worsening.
The Houthis stepped up attacks on cargo ships passing through the Red Sea after the Israel-Hamas war broke out in early October 2023, claiming the action was to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The force seized the cargo ship Galaxy Leader and its crew and took them to Yemen in November 2023.
The Houthis control large parts of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa. They are fighting a Saudi-led military coalition that intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to restore the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Areas in Yemen attacked by the US and UK on January 12 (red dots). Graphics: CNN, AFP
Thanh Danh (According to TASS, Al Jazeera, Reuters )
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