Yemeni-Houthi Leader Warns: We Want a Direct Confrontation with the U.S. and Israel

Yemeni-Houthi leader Abdul-Malik Badreddine Al-Houthi responded to an American-led naval coalition to guard the Red Sea in a December 20, 2023 statement on Al-Masirah TV (Houthis-Yemen). He warned that if the U.S. attacks Yemen, the Houthis will target American ships, interests, and maritime traffic. Al-Houthi said that the thing that the Houthis “want most” is for the war with the U.S. and Israel to be a direct confrontation, and not with “American collaborators.” He added that if the Americans send their soldiers to Yemen, they will face a lot worse than they did in Afghanistan or Vietnam.