Houthi leader says no attack will go unanswered, as reports swirl of impending US-UK strike on rebel group

As reports swirl of a joint US-UK strike against the Houthis in the coming hours, the leader of the Yemeni rebel group issues a statement declaring that no attack will go unanswered.

“Any American aggression will not go unanswered,” says Abdul Malik Al-Houthi in a statement.

“Whoever wants to get involved and attack our dear people and target our naval forces is putting [their country’s] navigation and commercial ships at risk,” he adds in the video address where a sign featuring the Houthis slogan — “God is the Greatest, Death to America, Death to Israel, A Curse Upon the Jews, Victory to Islam” — can be seen in the background.

The US along with the UK have lost their patience with the Houthis after repeated attacks in the Red Sea that have disrupted international shipping routes and have reportedly decided to conduct a strike within the coming hours.

But the decision to widely leak the strike ahead of time appears aimed at limiting the scope of the escalation, as the US continues to work to prevent the conflict from spreading across the Middle East.