Houthi Ansar Allah Officials Threaten Attacks On Israeli Ships In The Red Sea, Call For 'Returning The Jews To Where They Came From In Europe And Beyond The Atlantic'

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

On October 22, 2023, Abd Al-Aziz bin Habtour, prime minister of the Houthi Ansar Allah National Salvation Government, threatened attacks on Israeli ships in the Red Sea as part of Houthi support for Hamas.[1]

Habtour: "Israeli Ships Will Be Subjected To Attacks In the Red Sea"

In remarks to Al-Sahat Satellite Television, Habtour declared that the Houthis will target Israeli ships near Yemen's coast. "Sana'a has contributed and will contribute with all its capabilities to responding to the massacres in Gaza," he said, continuing, "If the assault on Gaza continues, Israeli ships will be subjected to attacks in the Red Sea."

The Houthi prime minister further stated that the Houthis consider themselves responsible for "securing the southern part of the Red Sea," noting that the group is "part of the Axis of Resistance," and in fact "leads the resistance."

Habtour: Houthi Missiles And Drones Intercepted By U.S. Were Targeting Israel

Habtour also acknowledged that U.S. forces downed multiple Houthi missiles and drones on October 19, while noting that the projectiles were intended to target Israel. "The Americans intercepted missiles and drones that were headed toward the occupied territories, and they shot down part of them, but the other part was able to reach its targets," he said, claiming that some of the projectiles made impact.

Houthi Supreme Political Council Chairman: "Only Jihad Will Stop The Jews;" "The Solution Is To Return The Jews To Where They Came From In Europe And Beyond The Atlantic"

Separately, in Sana'a on October 22, 2023, Houthi Supreme Political Council chairman Mahdi Al-Mashat met with the central committee of the National Campaign For Supporting Al-Aqsa, during which he stated that "only jihad will stop the Jews."[2]

In remarks to the committee, Al-Mashat declared: "Only jihad for the sake of Allah to liberate Palestine and its sanctities will stop the Jews in their crimes and ambitions."

Al-Mashat also called for Arab and Islamic peoples to boycott "Zionist-American products," calling boycotts "effective weapons against the enemy which anyone can employ."

He further noted that the "solution" to the Palestinian issue is "not to displace the sons of Palestine from their land, but rather the solution is to return the Jews to where they came from in Europe and beyond the Atlantic."