Yemen's Houthis say ready for long-term confrontation with US, Britain in Red Sea

SANAA -- Commander of Yemen's Houthis on Tuesday said the group is ready for a long-term confrontation with the United States and Britain in the Red Sea as tensions are rising in the region amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

"Our revolutionary leadership and the supreme political council have taken all well-studied steps, both near and far, and we are prepared for a long-term confrontation with the Western forces," Mohamed al-Atifi, commander of Houthi forces, said in a statement aired by the group's al-Masirah TV.

"The United States, Britain, and their allies must realize the strength of the decision and there is no debate over it," he said, vowing to launch more attacks on the shipping lines to press Israel to end the attacks on the Palestinian enclave.

The Houthi commander also condemned the Biden administration's redesignation of his group as "terrorists" earlier this month, describing the US decision as "ridiculous."

On Jan 17, the United States re-designated the Houthis as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist," reversing the Joe Biden administration's move at the outset of its term in February 2021 to revoke the designation given the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen at the time.

On Monday, the group claimed responsibility for attacking a US Navy warship in the Gulf of Aden with a ballistic missile, one day after it carried out a deadly missile attack on a British oil tanker and set it on huge fire for long hours before assistance from US warships managed to put the fire off.

The Houthis have escalated their missile attacks on commercial ships "connecting with Israel" and US warships in the Red Sea since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on Oct 7, 2023, demanding an immediate end to the Israeli attacks on Gaza.

The United States has since Jan 12 launched multiple strikes against targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, with Britain directly participating in some of them and other allies providing support.

Many shipping companies have stopped transiting in the Red Sea for fears of Houthi missile attacks, which caused cargo prices to increase.

The Houthi group has controlled much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and the strategic Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, since late 2014 when it forced the internationally recognized government to the south of the country.