Lebanese Daily Al-Akhbar: Houthi Ansar Allah Movement Threatens Attacks On Israeli, U.S. Naval Forces In Mediterranean, Targeting U.S. Bases If U.S. Involved In Israeli Response To Iranian Attack

The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here. 

On October 12, 2024, the pro-Hizbullah Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar published[1] an article detailing threats from officials in Yemen's Iran-backed Ansar Allah Movement (the Houthis) to launch naval operations against Israel.

The article cited "military sources in Sanaa" who claimed that the group was making "military preparations" to initiate a "direct naval battle" against the "Israeli entity," targeting both Israeli and American naval forces in the Mediterranean Sea using missiles and drones. The sources also suggested that the "Islamic resistance" in Iraq and Lebanon might participate in the "military effort."

Ali Al-Qahoum, a member of the Houthi political bureau, told Al-Akhbar that the "resistance axis" was preparing to impose a "military equation" in the Middle East, with the "active participation of the Yemeni support front." Addressing the Lebanese people, he declared: "Yemen is standing with you with all its capabilities, leadership and people alike. You will not be alone in this fateful battle, which will end with the demise of the temporary Israeli entity."

Impending Houthi Military Operations To Follow 'Escalating Trend'; American Involvement In Response To Iran's Missile Attack On Israel Would Result In Attacks On U.S. Bases In The Region

Major General Khalid Ghurab, described as a "strategic and military expert," told the pro-Hizbullah daily that the "resistance axis" was in a state of "constant coordination," and that the Houthis' impending military operations would follow an "escalating trend." Asserting that the group's "aerial and naval military operations" would continue to escalate, "in parallel with the escalation of crimes by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples," he threatened that Israeli warships in the Red and Mediterranean seas would be "among the targets" in the coming days, warning that Israeli Sa'ar fast-attack missile boats would "not be immune" to Houthi strikes.

Ghurab further warned that "surprises" awaited both Israelis and Americans in the following days. He claimed that the Houthis had yet to "officially enter the battle," and predicted that they would soon launch "broad and qualitative military operations, the likes of which the Israeli entity has yet to experience."

Referring to "Israeli and American preparations" for a potential retaliation in response to Iran's October 1 ballistic missile attack on Israel, the article claimed that the Houthis viewed such an act as a "new escalation" that would trigger a "regional war, in which Yemen would take part." It further claimed that according to "observers," the group would consider American involvement in such a response as a green light to launch "extensive Yemeni-Iraqi operations" against U.S. bases in the region.

Since the beginning of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, the Houthis have claimed hundreds of attacks on Israeli, American, and British naval vessels in the Red Sea.[2] The Iran-backed Iraqi Hizbullah Brigades and a Telegram channel linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have recently threatened to attack Israeli and American targets in the event of an Israeli retaliation strike in Iran.[3]