The U.S. offered to recognize the Houthi government in Sanaa in an effort to stop the Yemeni rebel group’s attacks in the Red Sea and against Israel, according to a senior Houthi official on Monday.
This statement came a day after the Iran-aligned Houthis launched a ballistic missile that reached central Israel.
Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi political bureau, told Al Jazeera Mubasher TV, “There is always communication after every operation we carry out. These conversations are either threats or attempts to offer incentives, but they have not succeeded in achieving anything in that direction.”
However, Reuters cited a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, who denied the claim, calling it false.
Al-Bukhaiti also mentioned that the post-attack communications included indirect contacts from the U.S. and the U.K. via mediators, with threats of direct U.S. military intervention against any countries that militarily support Gaza.
In addition to their attacks on Israel, the Houthi group has continued targeting ships they claim are linked to or destined for Israel, in solidarity with the Palestinians during the Gaza conflict. Since November, the Houthis have damaged over 80 ships through missile and drone attacks, sinking two vessels, seizing another, and killing at least three crew members.
