Iran Gives Yemen's Houthis Green Light to Target American Warships in Red Sea

As the American naval forces are expected to hit the Ansar Allah (Houthi) sites in Yemen over the group's attacks on shipping lanes in the Red Sea, Iran has given the green light to the Houthi group to attack American warships directly, informed sources told Sheba Intelligence on Wednesday.

The sources indicated that the Houthis have prepared suicide boats, sea mines, and missiles to carry out combat missions in the Red Sea, besides moving missile launch pads for fear of being targeted.

According to the sources, there is an undeclared state of emergency in the capital, Sana'a, where many checkpoints have been established. Moreover, the group has reinforced its naval and coast guard forces in Al-Hudaydah port, Al-Salif, Al-Luhaya, and Kamaran Island.

The Houthi military preparations come with parallel movements of international forces led by the United States of America in the southern Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden. There remains a strong indication of a strike against the Houthis in Yemen.

However, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani said on Monday that Yemen is acting independently regarding its operations against Israeli-linked ships in the Red and Arabia Seas over the regime's war in Gaza.

The Iranian official added, "The Yemeni government has announced that they will prevent assistance to Israel as long as the Zionists continue their crimes against people in Gaza. They [the Yemenis] are an independent player in the international scene, who act based on their recognition. Therefore, it is not right to relate their measures to others."

On the other hand, the Houthi group is intensifying military mobilization in Saada and Al-Jawf provinces, which border Saudi Arabia, amid reports of repeated attacks on Saudi sites. Three Saudi border guards were reportedly killed in Houthi attacks. Local sources said trucks carrying launch pads for ballistic missiles and drones were seen heading to border areas.

Because of the continued Houthi escalation in the Red Sea, International discussions on maritime security in the Red Sea ended in two agreed-upon measures. The first measure is launching a military strike against the Houthi group over its attacks on cargo ships, and the second is forming an international coalition to protect international shipping lanes, sources told Sheba Intelligence on Monday.

Yesterday, the US and a number of nations declared the formation of a new naval force to guard ships transiting the Red Sea, which has seen a spate of Houthi drone and missile attacks, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced early Tuesday in Bahrain.

Late yesterday, the Governments of the United States of America, High Representative Josep Borrell on behalf of the European Union, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on behalf of NATO, and a group representing 44 Allies and partner nations released a joint statement condemning the Houthi assaults on ships in the Red Sea.

The statement said the attacks originating from Houthi-controlled territories threaten international commerce and maritime security. The statement "called on the Houthis to release the Galaxy Leader crew and ship immediately and to cease additional attacks on commercial vessels in the region's vital waterways."

Houthi spokesperson Mohammad Abdulsalam said in a statement on platform X yesterday that their attacks aim to support Palestinians as they face Israel's "aggression and siege" in Gaza. He stated that the Houthi operations were not a challenge to another party, warning that any side seeking to expand the conflict "must bear the consequences of its actions."

On Monday, Houthi-appointed defense minister Major General Mohammad al-Atifi said that the Yemeni Armed Forces will turn the Red Sea into a graveyard of the US-led coalition if the alliance decides to take any action against Yemen.

He threatened the U.S.-led task force in the Red Sea of destroying its arsenal, saying, "We own munitions and military equipment that can sink your warships, submarines, and aircraft carriers."