Houthi Ansar Allah Movement Claims Attacks On Two U.S. Destroyers In Red Sea; Houthi Officials: We Can Surprise Enemy With 'Shocking Blows;' Coming Ramadan Should Be 'Month Of General Mobilization For Gaza'

The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here

On March 5, 2024, the armed forces of the Yemeni Houthi Ansar Allah movement claimed responsibility for targeting two American destroyers in the Red Sea with naval missiles and drones. The attacks took place just one day after Ansar Allah claimed responsibility for an attack on an "Israeli ship" in the Arabian Sea, and attacks on "several" U.S. warships in the Red Sea.[1] In a post on the Houthi armed forces Telegram channel on the following day, Houthi armed forces spokesman Brigadier-General Yahya Saree' declared that the Houthi armed forces "will not hesitate to expand their operations against all hostile targets."[2]

Also on March 5, senior Houthi officials announced that their armed forces held "many cards that have yet to be played," and threatened that they have the capability to surprise their enemies with "painful and shocking blows." They also joined the Palestinian factions in their calls to make the coming Ramadan holiday "a month of general mobilization for Gaza."

The following is a review of some of the statements issued by various Houthi sources on March 5, 2024:

Houthi Armed Forces: We Will Not Hesitate To Expand Operations Against "Hostile Targets"

On March 5, 2024, on his Telegram and his X accounts, in both Arabic and in English, Houthi armed forces spokesman Saree' claimed responsibility for targeting two American destroyers in the Red Sea, and added that the Houthi armed forces "will not hesitate to expand operations against all hostile targets in response to the calls of the free people of our great people and our Islamic nation to provide support and assistance to the Palestinian people."

Saree' also threatened that the Houthi armed forces "will not stop [its operations] until the aggression stops and the siege imposed on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted."[3]

On March 6, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that on March 5, between the hours of 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. (Sana'a time), CENTCOM forces shot down one anti-ship ballistic missile and three one-way attack unmanned aerial systems launched from Iranian-backed Houthi controlled areas of Yemen toward the USS Carney (DDG 64) in the Red Sea. No injuries or damage to the ship were reported.[4]

Houthi Defense Minister Major General Al-'Atifi: Our Forces Can Surprise The Enemy With "Painful And Shocking Blows"

On March 5, 2024, Houthi spokesman Muhammad Abd Al-Salam shared a post on his Telegram account which read that after 150 days of war in Gaza, "Every drop of Palestinian blood is a mark of shame on America's forehead," for its support of Israel. In advance of the month of Ramadan, which is expected to begin on March 11, the spokesman exhorted the Islamic nation to assist Gaza, "with every means of steadfastness" and to pressure Israel to cease its "barbaric crimes" in the Gaza Strip. He also commended the calls by the Palestinian jihadi factions to make the coming Ramadan "a month of general mobilization for Gaza."[5]

Also on March 5, the Houthi Ansar Allah movement reported on its official website that during the same day, in the city of Al-Hudaydah in southwestern Yemen, Houthi Defense Minister Major General Muhammad Nasser Al-'Atifi met with senior officers from the Moral Guidance Units of the Houthi Fifth Military Region. In a speech he delivered to the units, the minister asserted that Yemen has the capability to surprise "the enemies of the Islamic nation, the religion and humanity with painful and shocking blows."

He declared that the more that Israel and its allies expand the scope of the attack on Palestinians, in Gaza and the other territories of "occupied Palestine," the more Yemen will escalate its military operations to an even greater extent. He further threatened that "the armed forces of Yemen hold many cards that they have yet to play, but if they are forced to do so, the centers of the decisionmakers in Washington, London, and Tel Aviv will pay dearly for it."

He warned the countries that "blindly follow" the U.S. and Britain not to "take any foolish steps and form suspicious alliances that will lead them into unplanned confrontation with Yemen." He also stated that the Yemeni naval forces are closely following the activity in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea and threatened, "We will respond accordingly to anyone who is proved to be involved, with surprises which will make them sorely regret that they obeyed America and Britain."[6]

Houthi Defense Minister Major General Muhammad Nasser Al-'Atifi (Source: Ansarollah.com, March 5, 2024)