Houthis Threaten to Launch Terrorist Attacks in Response to Security Council Condemnation

Houthi militants in Sanaa display drones believed to be of Iranian origin (EPA)
Houthi militants in Sanaa display drones believed to be of Iranian origin (EPA)
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Houthis Threaten to Launch Terrorist Attacks in Response to Security Council Condemnation

Houthi militants in Sanaa display drones believed to be of Iranian origin (EPA)
Houthi militants in Sanaa display drones believed to be of Iranian origin (EPA)

The Iran-backed Houthi militia responded to a UN Security Council statement condemning its attack on the al-Dabba port in Hadramout by threatening to expand its attacks and warning that it could resort to any option to target local energy facilities and maritime trade.

The militias have targeted two oil ports on the Arabian Sea in the Hadramout and Shabwa governorates.

The attacks drew Arab and international condemnation amid the militias' efforts to force the legitimate government to pay the militants' salaries in its control areas and share crude oil sales proceeds.

The Security Council statement described the Houthi attack on the oil port in Hadramout as "terrorist," saying it is a severe threat to peace and stability in Yemen.

In response, the Houthi foreign ministry issued a statement accusing the Security Council of attempting to manipulate the facts and adopting double standards.

The militias tried to evade the consequences of their actions and legitimize them by claiming they aimed to protect Yemeni wealth.

They said the attacks "were not an aggressive or offensive message" in international waters or shipping lanes, but instead a warning inside Yemeni territorial waters.

The statement threatened to repeat the attacks on a larger scale, saying that all options are open for a broader range of strict measures.

The Houthi statement renewed the group's demands, which the Security Council described as "extremist," regarding the payment of the salaries of its militants and the lifting of UN restrictions on the sea and air ports under its control to smuggle Iranian weapons.

It called on the Council to issue a new binding resolution to prepare the negotiations for a peaceful political settlement to reach a comprehensive peace.

Meanwhile, Yemenis await the results of the efforts of UN envoy Hans Grundberg in the coming days after the militias rejected his proposal to extend and expand the armistice.

The Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council and the legitimate government approved the proposal for humanitarian purposes.

There are fears that the Houthi intransigence would reignite the clashes on various fronts after a relative calm throughout the six months of the truce that began on April 2, and the militias refused to extend it for the third time on October 2.

The Yemeni government welcomed the recent Security Council condemnation, pointing to "the urgent need to deter the Iranian-back terrorist Houthi militias and their actions that threaten regional and international peace and security."

The Yemeni statement underlined "the necessity to punish the perpetrators of the attacks and support the Yemeni government's decision to include the Houthi militias on the list of terrorist organizations."



Trump, Netanyahu Meet Again as Gaps Said to Narrow in Gaza Ceasefire Talks

07 July 2025, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump receives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak privately in the Vermeil Room before a dinner at the White House. (Daniel Torok/White House/dpa)
07 July 2025, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump receives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak privately in the Vermeil Room before a dinner at the White House. (Daniel Torok/White House/dpa)
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Trump, Netanyahu Meet Again as Gaps Said to Narrow in Gaza Ceasefire Talks

07 July 2025, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump receives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak privately in the Vermeil Room before a dinner at the White House. (Daniel Torok/White House/dpa)
07 July 2025, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump receives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak privately in the Vermeil Room before a dinner at the White House. (Daniel Torok/White House/dpa)

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday met for a second time in two days with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss Gaza as Trump's Middle East envoy said Israel and Hamas were closing their differences on a ceasefire deal.

Netanyahu arrived at the White House shortly before 5 p.m. EDT for a meeting that was not expected to be open to the press. The two men met for several hours during a dinner at the White House on Monday during the Israeli leader's third US visit since the president began his second term on January 20.

Netanyahu met with Vice President JD Vance and then visited the US Capitol on Tuesday. He told reporters after a meeting with the Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson that while he did not think Israel's campaign in the Palestinian enclave was done, negotiators are "certainly working" on a ceasefire.

"We have still to finish the job in Gaza, release all our hostages, eliminate and destroy Hamas' military and government capabilities," Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu's return to the White House to see Trump on Tuesday pushed back his meeting with US Senate leaders to Wednesday.

Shortly after Netanyahu spoke, Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said the issues keeping Israel and Hamas from agreeing had dropped to one from four and he hoped to reach a temporary ceasefire agreement this week.

"We are hopeful that by the end of this week, we'll have an agreement that will bring us into a 60-day ceasefire. Ten live hostages will be released. Nine deceased will be released," Witkoff told reporters at a meeting of Trump's Cabinet.

The Gaza war erupted when Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive.

Israel's retaliatory war in Gaza has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave's health ministry. Most of Gaza's population has been displaced by the war and nearly half a million people are facing famine within months, according to United Nations estimates.

Trump had strongly supported Netanyahu, even wading into domestic Israeli politics by criticizing prosecutors over a corruption trial against the Israeli leader on bribery, fraud and breach-of-trust charges that Netanyahu denies.

In his remarks to reporters at the US Congress, Netanyahu praised Trump, saying there has never been closer coordination between the US and Israel in his country's history.