Rebels warn: "Will respond swiftly and painfully"

 

Gustaf Thornéus

 

Published at 08:47

The US has signaled a willingness to get involved in the Yemen conflict.

This has prompted a stern warning:

"We will respond swiftly and painfully," says a spokesperson for the Houthi rebels.

The war between Houthi rebels and Yemeni government forces continues to rage.

Following deadly attacks on Saudi Arabian airports over the weekend—for which the Houthis claimed responsibility—Donald Trump indicated that the US might intervene militarily.

"We’re going to look at it. We just found out about the latest attack. So we’ll make a decision," the US president said on Saturday.

Israel also wants to fight the Houthis. According to the Israeli news site Haaretz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked for Saudi Arabia's approval to join the effort.

However, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is hesitant, according to the newspaper's sources, due to the likely backlash such a move would trigger.

Warning the US: "We will not show restraint"

The Iran-backed rebel group also warns the US against intervening. If more parties enter the war, the response will be forceful.

"We will not show restraint in our response," Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a spokesperson for the Houthi movement's political wing, told AFP.

"Instead, there will be a swift and painful response targeting the US and all its interests in the region," he added.

The war in Yemen has been ongoing since 2014, when the Houthi movement seized control of the capital, Sanaa. The following year, Saudi Arabia entered the conflict and is supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government. Last summer, the fragile ceasefire collapsed, and the war has since escalated.