Group vows to target 'all US interests' in the region

A Houthi rebel stands guard during an anti-Saudi Arabia protest in Sanaa, Yemen, on Saturday (local time). [EPA]
A Houthi rebel stands guard during an anti-Saudi Arabia protest in Sanaa, Yemen, on Saturday (local time). [EPA]

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who have been mounting daily attacks against Saudi Arabia, issued a stark warning against possible US intervention in the country's civil war.

Houthi political bureau member Mohammed al-Bukhaiti told AFP on Monday (local time) that if the United States joined any attack on Yemen, the group would not hesitate to respond. "Swift and painful retaliation targeting the US and all US interests and facilities in the region will follow," he warned.

Al-Bukhaiti also threatened further strikes on critical infrastructure inside Saudi Arabia. "Saudi oil facilities and airports have now become legitimate targets for us," he said, adding that all staff and workers at those facilities should evacuate immediately.

The Houthis have been carrying out near-daily attacks on international airports in the Saudi capital Riyadh and oil facilities in the country's eastern region. On Saturday, a missile and drone strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport killed 14 people and wounded more than 300.

The deaths included at least one American, fueling speculation that the US could launch retaliatory strikes against the group.

President Donald Trump, who had previously rebuffed Saudi requests for military support, gave a notably different response when asked whether the US would join Saudi Arabia in striking the Houthis. "Maybe. We'll see," he said.


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