Yemen’s Houthis warn they are ready to attack Israel if Gaza war continues

Leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi said in a televised speech on Tuesday that the group was “ready to launch a military intervention at any time in case of escalation against Gaza”.

“Our hands are on the trigger,” he added.

The Houthis, who control most of western Yemen, including capital city Sanaa, have launched attacks throughout the Gaza war in stated solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Since November 2023, the group has carried out more than 100 attacks on commercial and military ships in the Red Sea and launched missiles and drones towards Israel. It said it would limit attacks after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the war last month.

But the fragile deal, still in the first of three phases, is looking increasingly shaky amid Israel’s repeated violations of its terms.

On Monday, Hamas announced that it would stop releasing Israeli captives over the violations, which include killings, restrictions on allowing wounded people to leave Gaza for treatment, and a failure to allow in sufficient aid. The group added it would continue to honour the terms of the agreement if Israel comes into compliance.

The situation spiralled further, with US President Donald Trump saying that if Hamas did not release all Israeli captives by noon on Saturday, he would propose cancelling the truce and “let hell break out”.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated Trump’s threat, saying in a video statement that the military would “return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated”.

Speaking after a four-hour cabinet meeting, the Israeli leader also added he had ordered Israeli troops to gather “inside and around the Gaza Strip”.

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz had already instructed the military to be at the highest level of readiness in Gaza.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed a confirmed nearly 48,200 people and injured 111,640, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry. The Government Media Office has updated the death toll to at least 61,700 people, saying thousands who were missing under the rubble are now presumed dead.