Yemen Monitor – Sana’a / Exclusive:
The Houthi group in Yemen announced today that it is fully prepared to enter the war in support of Iran, which is facing a U.S.–Israeli war. The group confirmed that the expansion of the confrontation to include new fronts, including Yemen, has become “only a matter of time,” amid the escalating pace of military tensions in the region.
Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a senior political official in the Iran-backed Houthi movement, stated that the group is closely monitoring the rapidly evolving developments in the region, stressing that their fighters are on the highest level of alert.
Al-Bukhaiti said in a phone interview with The New York Times that “the expansion of the conflict to include other countries, including Yemen, is only a matter of time.” He added in a warning tone: “Our hands are on the trigger.”
These remarks come at a time when the region is witnessing sharp military alignments. Al-Bukhaiti issued a direct warning to the United States, saying that “the United States will ultimately be the biggest loser” if the current path of escalation continues.
Al-Bukhaiti did not reveal the nature of the anticipated military moves or the exact timing of any potential escalation. However, he indicated that the decision to participate comes in response to ongoing developments in the regional arena, opening the door to the possibility of the conflict expanding in the Red Sea and international shipping lanes.
The Houthi threats come at a sensitive time for the region, as regional and international powers seek to avoid the outbreak of a full-scale confrontation. For years, the group has used Yemen’s strategic location on the Bab al-Mandab Strait as a political and military pressure tool, benefiting from its arsenal of ballistic missiles and drones. Observers believe that the Houthis’ actual involvement in the regional conflict could further disrupt international shipping and threaten global energy security, while also putting fragile agreements within Yemen at risk.
