WASHINGTON, SEP 9: The US embassy in Yemen said Wednesday the Houthi militia and its Iranian backers had miscalculated by underestimating the resolve of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, armed forces and people to end Houthi “aggression and brutality.”
“The terrorist Houthis and their Iranian backers miscalculated by underestimating the resolve of the Republic of Yemen’s legitimate government, the Yemeni Armed Forces, and the Yemeni people to end Houthi aggression and brutality,” the embassy said in a statement.
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The embassy said the current escalation had been sparked by Houthi actions with Iran’s support, citing an August 7 statement by the UN Security Council.
It added that the Houthis had brought Yemen “nothing but suffering” and turned the country into a base for Iran to “undermine Arab unity and security.”
The US statement comes amid some of Yemen’s heaviest fighting in years, with government forces and the Houthis clashing across several fronts, including Taiz, Hodeida, al-Bayda and al-Jawf. Government forces have launched counteroffensives and reported gains in several provinces after the Houthis began a major offensive along the western coast last week.
On Monday, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg warned that the Houthis’ latest attacks across several frontlines had triggered increasingly intense clashes, threatening to further expand the conflict and undermine efforts toward a political settlement.
The renewed violence threatens to unravel efforts to reach a political settlement after a fragile truce in 2022 had largely halted major fighting.
