Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the Houthi rebels in Yemen, on Friday threatened that the rebels would resume their attacks on Israel if the war in Gaza were to resume.
"We are constantly monitoring the situation in Gaza and see that the Israeli enemy is evading full commitment to the agreement [with Hamas]. The enemy's evasion of withdrawing from Rafah is a serious violation of the agreement. This is a threat to the Palestinian people and to the Egyptian people, government, and army. We were ready for military intervention when Trump threatened to bring back the war in Gaza if Hamas did not release the hostages," al-Houthi said, as quoted by Ynet.
He also commented on the situation in Lebanon, stating, "The Israeli enemy has not completed its withdrawal from Lebanon. This is an occupation and a threat to the Lebanese people, as well as a violation of Lebanon's sovereignty."
Al-Houthi further said, "We must be prepared to act effectively and with force every day, at any time, or in any phase that requires intervention to support the Palestinian people, the Lebanese people, or any nation. We must be ready to confront any attack against our country.”
He then threatened, “We confirm that the resumption of war in Gaza means that the entire entity (Israel), and first and foremost Jaffa, will be under fire. We will intervene and provide support through various military means."
The Houthi rebels have upped their attacks in the region since October of 2023, having launched drones and ballistic missiles towards cities in Israel while also targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea region, in support for Gazans.
The Houthis halted their launches towards Israel with the start of the ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas, which is set to officially end on Saturday.
In the wake of the uptick in Houthi attacks, the US during the Biden administration formed a coalition, made up of more than 20 countries, aimed at safeguarding commercial traffic in the Red Sea from attacks by the Houthis.
The coalition has repeatedly targeted Houthi facilities and weapons systems in Yemen, but the Houthis have been unfazed by the strikes and have vowed to continue their attacks.
Earlier this month, the Houthis for the first time fired surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) at a US F-16 fighter jet. The incident occurred on Feb. 19, when the jet was flying off the coast of Yemen over the Red Sea. The missile failed to hit its target, according to US officials.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)