Yemen’s Houthi movement has issued its starkest threat yet to Washington, declaring its “fingers are on the trigger” and warning the US will face surprise attacks at sea and on land if it continues to back Israel and strike Iranian targets, regional officials say.

In a televised speech from Sanaa, a senior Houthi commander vowed that “all American bases, ships and traitor regimes in the region” are now potential targets, hinting that long‑range anti‑ship missiles and explosive drones already used in the Red Sea could be redirected toward US Navy ᴀssets in the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea. Maps flashed behind him showed arcs stretching from Yemen’s coast toward key US logistics hubs and Gulf ports.

Western intelligence sources say Houthi missile and drone units have quietly shifted into heightened alert, dispersing launchers along Yemen’s rugged coastline and moving storage sites into mountain tunnels. US destroyers and allied frigates in the Red Sea and Bab el‑Mandeb have been ordered to increase patrols and keep air‑defence systems on continuous combat footing.

By openly tying their threats to Iran’s confrontation with Israel and the US, the Houthis are signalling a formal entry into the Iran war, transforming themselves from a local insurgency into a regional proxy force. For shipping companies, Gulf monarchies and US commanders alike, the fear is immediate: that the next “surprise attack” could come not from Iran’s shores, but from Yemen’s, and that every narrow strait and crowded sea lane from Suez to Hormuz is now part of the battlefield.