Yemen's Houthis to target U.S. interests if it supports Saudi-led strikes: Houthi military adviser

A Houthi military adviser told AFP that the group would attack U.S. interests in the West Asia if Washington intervenes in Yemen's conflict in support of Saudi Arabia or tries to unblock the Bab al-Mandab strait.

The Iran-backed Houthis seized control of the narrow shipping lane , gateway to the Red Sea, this month, while Saudi Arabia has reportedly requested American and international military assistance against them.

"If America dares to intervene militarily with its fleets or tries to take control of Bab al-Mandab, it is a red line for them and anyone else... we will fight over it," military adviser Abed Mohammed al-Thawr told AFP in an exclusive interview on Tuesday (September 22, 2026).

The Houthi blockade has shaken Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, which was already hit by Tehran's strangehold on the strategic Strait of Hormuz as part of its war with the United States.