Middle East Crisis Houthi Rebels

Houthi movement’s warning to the US: Do not interfere

The Houthi movement has warned the US against intervening in the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, AFP reports.

Hours after the warning, loud blasts were heard in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Monday.

"If the US interferes in the aggression against Yemen, we will not hesitate to respond. On the contrary, there will be a swift and painful response targeting the US and all its interests in the region," says Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a senior figure in the movement's political wing.

Several attacks have targeted Riyadh over the weekend. Thirteen people have died and over 300 have been injured following attacks on sites including the international airport.

The country's civil war escalated last summer after Saudi Arabia launched attacks on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. In early October, Yemen's recognized government declared full-scale war against the Houthi militia. 

Analysis: Houthis strike at the Crown Prince's vision for the future

Following the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in over a decade, pressure is mounting on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to halt the assaults by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. However, he has few options, according to analyses in several media outlets. The attacks strike at the very heart of the Crown Prince’s ambition to transform Saudi Arabia from a closed, oil-dependent nation into a global hub for business and tourism, write Vivian Nereim and Lisa Friedman in The New York Times.

At the same time, the Houthis have become increasingly battle-hardened, and their demands have escalated. Consequently, a political solution is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve, while a military defeat for the rebels appears unlikely, they write.

Meanwhile, CNN Middle East reporter Mostafa Salem describes how the conflict is increasingly viewed as an extension of Iran’s confrontation with the United States. The Houthis are threatening attacks on critical infrastructure that could have global economic repercussions.

However, a military counter-response is not a simple option either. According to Salem, deploying Saudi ground troops to Yemen would entail a costly war in difficult terrain—and risk shattering the image of a stable, investment-friendly Saudi Arabia.