The State Department on Sunday blasted Yemen’s Iran-sponsored Houthi terrorist movement for lethal attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea and on Israel as new calls emerged for President Donald Trump to support Yemen’s legitimate government to topple the Houthi regime.
Walid Phares, a leading American expert on the Middle East, told Fox News Digital that regarding "negotiations with Hamas and the regime in Tehran, in my view, Iran is simply buying time to rearm and resume its regional expansion."
Phares said if the talks fail, there is a need "to reassemble a ground force comprised of units loyal to the legitimate Yemeni government (now in exile in Aden), and—crucially—the Southern Transitional Council (STC), whose forces are based in the Aden region and maintain frontlines adjacent to Houthi-controlled territory. Notably, STC forces have achieved the most significant victories against the Khomeinist militias in past years."
Phares, who advised Trump when he was a candidate for president in 2016, continued, saying that "The United States should back, fund, and train these southern forces for renewed ground operations along the Red Sea coast, particularly to retake the vital port city of Hodeidah. Simultaneously, northern units loyal to the Yemeni government could advance toward the capital, Sanaa. Allied airpower would provide the necessary cover to enable a southern-northern pincer movement that could collapse the Houthi hold on Yemen and eliminate the threat entirely."
He argued that "This would pave the way for future negotiations—not with Tehran’s proxies—but with a federated, pro-Western Yemeni government independent of Iranian influence. "
In May, Trump announced that after a military air campaign against the Houthi movement, saying the Houthis "just don't want to fight…and we will honor that. We will stop the bombings."
The Houthi terrorists, however, appear to have violated their pledge to Trump to stop attacks in the Red Sea.
Department of Defense spokesman Sean Parnell told Fox News Digital, "The DOD remains prepared to respond to any state or non-state actor seeking to broaden or escalate conflict in the region. Secretary Hegseth continues to make clear that, should Iran or its proxies threaten American personnel in the region, the United States will take decisive action to defend our people. We will not discuss future operations."
Fox News Digital reported on July 7 that Israel exchanged missile fire with Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on Monday, targeting the group's ports and other facilities.
Israel's initial strikes came in reaction to a suspected Houthi attack on a Liberian-flagged ship in the Red Sea. The vessel was targeted with explosives and small arms fire, causing it to take on water and forcing the crew to abandon ship. The Houthis have not yet claimed responsibility for the attack. Israel's military issued a warning prior to its attack, which targeted ports at Hodeida, Ras Isa and Salif.
"These ports are used by the Houthi terrorist regime to transfer weapons from the Iranian regime, which are employed to carry out terrorist operations against the state of Israel and its allies," the Israeli military said.
The Houthi attacks last week resulted in the sinking of the bulk carrier Magic Seas, resulting in the presumed killings of four people and 11 others who are missing, according to an AP report.
The announcement came as satellite photos show long, trailing oil slicks from where the bulk carrier Eternity C went down, and another when the Houthis sank the bulk carrier Magic Seas.
The Times of Israel reported that both ships were attacked over a week ago by the rebels as part of their campaign targeting vessels over the war in Gaza. The Houthi campaign has upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which $1 trillion of goods usually passes a year.
A spokesperson for the State Department told Fox News Digital, "The United States condemns these attacks. These recent attacks have led to the loss of life, injury to sailors, and the sinking of cargo ships.Houthi attacks continue to endanger the lives of seafarers, harm economies across the region, and risk environmental disaster."
The spokesperson added, "Global freedom of navigation and Israel have been under attack by the Houthi rebels for too long. The U.S. supports Israel’s ability to exercise its right to self-defense."
After the Biden administration de-listed the Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist organization, the Trump administration swiftly restored the terrorist designation in March.
The official slogan of the Houthi movement (Ansar Allah) reads, "Allah is Greater. Death to America. Death to Israel. Curse on the Jews. Victory to Islam."
Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and AP contributed to this report.