CAIRO, Sep 20 – Iran-backed Houthi rebels have warned other countries against joining Saudi Arabia in Yemen’s renewed civil war, while saying they have assured the Trump administration that American vessels will not be targeted in the Red Sea.
Mohamed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi political bureau, said Washington had made contact with the group after its forces rapidly advanced along Yemen’s western coastline and reached positions around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait earlier this month.
Al-Bukhaiti said the Houthis had made clear that their military operations were not directed at the United States or other countries operating in the strategic waterway, with Saudi Arabia being the exception.
“We confirmed that we are not targeting the United States, or any other nation, in the strait, with the sole exception of the Saudi enemy,” al-Bukhaiti said in an interview from Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital.
The comments come as fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces has intensified after a ceasefire that largely contained the country’s civil war since 2022 broke down.
U.S. President Donald Trump said last weekend that his administration had held discussions with the Houthis and that the rebels did not want the United States to become involved in the conflict. Trump also said the Houthis were allowing most ships to pass through the Red Sea.
Al-Bukhaiti, however, described the contact differently, saying the Houthis had communicated with U.S. officials indirectly through Oman, which has played a central role in mediating between Washington and the rebels.
Oman previously helped broker a ceasefire between the Trump administration and the Houthis in 2025. That agreement brought an end to a weeks-long U.S. bombing campaign against Houthi positions after the rebels agreed to stop attacking American vessels in the Red Sea.
“The goal of our military operations is not to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, but rather to ensure freedom of navigation through it for everyone, including Yemen,” al-Bukhaiti said.
The renewed fighting has placed the Bab el-Mandeb at the center of the conflict. The narrow waterway connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is a major route for international trade and energy shipments.
Houthis threaten wider conflict if other nations join Saudi Arabia
The Houthi warning was accompanied by a broader threat that the conflict could expand beyond Yemen if other countries provide military support to Saudi Arabia.
Al-Bukhaiti said the rebels believed they had the ability to fight on several fronts if foreign governments became involved on Riyadh’s side.
“Today, Yemen is capable of waging battle, not merely an internal conflict, but an international one as well,” he said.
The Houthis have continued launching missiles and drones toward Saudi Arabia, including an attack targeting Riyadh on Saturday that Saudi authorities said was intercepted. Saudi officials also said debris from a Houthi drone killed one civilian and injured others.
The rebels have also declared a blockade targeting Saudi-linked shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb and Red Sea and have attacked Saudi energy infrastructure and other targets inside the kingdom.
Al-Bukhaiti said the attacks would continue until Saudi Arabia ends what the Houthis describe as a decade-long blockade of rebel-held areas and permits vessels to reach ports controlled by the group along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
He said the Houthis would then be prepared to negotiate.
The latest escalation followed an airstrike on Sanaa’s international airport that the Houthis attributed to the Saudi-led coalition. The strike prevented an Iranian aircraft carrying a Houthi delegation from landing, according to Houthi officials.
The Houthis responded with missile and drone attacks against Saudi targets, expanding the confrontation from Yemen’s internal battlefield into a direct cross-border conflict.
Saudi Arabia has supported Yemen’s internationally recognized government since its military intervention in 2015, when a coalition led by Riyadh entered the war after the Houthis seized large parts of the country, including Sanaa.
The conflict subsequently became one of the region’s most destructive wars. United Nations estimates have put the death toll at roughly 150,000 people, while years of fighting and restrictions on imports and aid contributed to severe humanitarian conditions.
Despite the renewed violence, Houthi officials say they remain open to negotiations.
Mahdi al-Mashat, president of the group’s Supreme Political Council, said Sunday that the Houthis had not closed the door to peace in a speech marking the anniversary of their 2014 takeover of Sanaa.
The United States has previously carried out military operations against the Houthis under both the Biden and Trump administrations. Washington has so far indicated that it does not want to become directly involved in the latest Saudi-Houthi confrontation.
Houthi gains strengthen control over Red Sea shipping route
The Houthis’ confidence comes after a series of battlefield gains along Yemen’s western coast.
Earlier this month, Houthi forces captured the strategic port city of Mokha, followed by advances toward islands near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The moves have given the group stronger positions overlooking one of the world’s most important maritime corridors.
The group’s territorial expansion has also exposed divisions among forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government. Government-backed units withdrew from several positions along the coast as the Houthis advanced, although those forces have said they intend to regroup.
The Bab el-Mandeb has become particularly important because disruptions elsewhere in the Middle East have increased pressure on alternative shipping routes. The waterway normally carries a significant share of global trade between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Control of territory around the strait therefore gives the Houthis greater ability to monitor maritime traffic and potentially threaten vessels connected to Saudi Arabia.
The developments have also raised concerns among international shipping and energy markets. Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s largest oil exporters, and any prolonged disruption to routes used to move crude and other commodities could have consequences beyond Yemen.
The renewed fighting has already displaced tens of thousands of Yemenis as civilians flee areas affected by the latest offensive. Humanitarian organizations have warned that expanding front lines and damaged infrastructure could further restrict access to people who depend on outside assistance.
The current escalation marks a significant reversal from the relative calm that followed the 2022 ceasefire. That truce reduced large-scale fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government, although it did not resolve the underlying political dispute.
The original conflict began in 2014, when Houthi forces moved out of their northern strongholds and seized Sanaa. Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened the following year in support of Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
More than a decade later, the Houthis now control much of northern and western Yemen, including Sanaa and strategically important parts of the Red Sea coastline.
Al-Bukhaiti argued that the latest territorial gains had changed the balance of power in the conflict.
“The balance of power has shifted in favor of the Sanaa government,” he said, referring to the Houthi authorities that govern areas under their control.
He also argued that Saudi Arabia had lost one of its most important strategic advantages with the loss of positions along Yemen’s western coast.
“Ultimately, Saudi Arabia lost its most critical card: the west coast,” al-Bukhaiti said.
For now, the competing positions leave Yemen facing the prospect of another prolonged conflict. The Houthis say they are prepared to continue fighting Saudi Arabia while keeping U.S. vessels outside the scope of their current operations. Riyadh, meanwhile, faces renewed attacks from a group that has strengthened its position around a critical international shipping corridor.
The extent to which the fighting expands will depend partly on whether Saudi Arabia receives additional outside support and whether diplomatic channels involving Oman and Washington can prevent the conflict from drawing in more countries.