Yemen's Houthis to resume attacks on Israel if Gaza ceasefire breaks down
The Yemeni group has paused its attacks on Israel and ships in the Red Sea since mid-January when the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel came into effect.
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Abdulmalik al-Houthi, the leader of the Iran-backed group [Getty]
Yemen's Houthis are ready to mount attacks on Israel if it resumes its assault on Gaza and does not commit to the ceasefire deal, the group's leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi said on Tuesday.
The Iran-backed group, who control most of western Yemen including the capital, had attacked Israeli and other vessels in the Red Sea, disturbing global shipping lanes, in what they said were acts of solidarity with Gaza's Palestinians during Israel's war with Hamas.
Since the start of the ceasefire on 19 January, the Hamas ally has paused its attacks.
"Our hands are on the trigger and we are ready to immediately escalate against the Israeli enemy if it returns to escalation in the Gaza Strip," al-Houthi said in a televised speech.
The Gaza ceasefire deal appears fragile after Hamas accused Israel of violating the agreement and said it would stop releasing Israeli prisoners.
In response, Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz instructed the military to be at the highest level of readiness in Gaza and for domestic defence.
The Houthis, part of Iran's Axis of Resistance, have also launched missiles and drones towards Israel, hundreds of kilometres to the north.
(Reuters)
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