Iran-backed Houthi rebels warn against joining Saudi Arabia in Yemen's growing civil war

Key Points:

• A senior Houthi official confirmed to the AP that his group assured the Trump administration it will not target U.S. vessels in the Red Sea, focusing attacks solely on Saudi Arabia amid Yemen’s renewed civil war.
• The Houthis have warned other countries against joining Saudi Arabia in the conflict and claim they have the capacity to fight on multiple fronts if any nation supports the Saudi-led coalition.
• The escalation followed a Saudi-led airstrike on Sanaa airport that blocked a Houthi delegation’s Iranian flight, prompting retaliatory missile and drone strikes on Saudi territory and a Houthi blockade of Saudi shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
• The Houthis control Yemen’s western coast and key Red Sea islands, shifting the balance of power in their favor and threatening a vital global shipping route through the Bab el-Mandeb, which handles about 12% of world trade.
• Despite ongoing hostilities, Houthi leaders say they remain open to peace talks if Saudi Arabia ends its blockade on rebel-held areas and allows access to Houthi ports, though U.S.-Iran negotiations that could influence the conflict have recently stalled.