Houthis say end of military operations depends on end of Israel’s assault in Gaza

The Houthis in Yemen confirmed on Tuesday that stopping military operations in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden is dependent on ending Israel’s “aggression” and siege imposed on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The statement was issued by the movement’s political bureau the day after Washington vowed to “hold Houthi terrorists accountable for their actions.”

“Our military operations are ethical and aim to protect human rights and freedom and will not stop unless the aggression against Gaza is stopped and the siege imposed on its residents is lifted,” insisted the Houthis. “America’s goal in describing our operations as ‘terrorism’ and claiming that they have nothing to do with what is happening in Gaza is to divert attention from the real terrorism committed by Israel in Gaza with American support.”

The movement said that its demands are fair, logical and clear. “Stop the aggression against Gaza, lift the siege on its residents, and we will stop our military operations.”

It added that Yemen will continue its fight to end the double standards in human rights and freedom issues that the US and its allies adopt based on American interests. “We seek to build a comprehensive and just peace that guarantees the freedom, rights and dignity of [all] nations.”

On Monday, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said, “We will continue to act with partners around the world to hold the Houthi terrorists accountable for their actions. We’re going to continue to target this network to degrade the Houthis’ ability to replenish its munitions.”

Kirby claimed that the Houthis “don’t care a whit” about Palestinians in Gaza. “And this isn’t some principled stand they’re taking. It’s terrorism, as I said, pure and simple. And it has to stop.”

The Houthis have from the beginning said that they are targeting merchant ships linked to Israel as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, which is facing Israeli genocide in which the US is complicit.

Since the beginning of this year, a US-led coalition has launched raids that it says target “Houthi sites” in various parts of Yemen, in response to the movement’s attacks. Such raids have been met with occasional responses from the Houthis. As Washington and London intervened and tensions escalated in January, the Houthis announced that all US and British ships would be legitimate military targets.

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