Houthi leader offers support to Lebanon's Hezbollah amid renewed Israeli air strikes

Iran-backed group is also the target of US strikes in Yemen

A picture of Abdul-Malik Al Houthi, leader of the Houthi rebels, is displayed at an anti-US and anti-Israel rally in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. AP

The leader of Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis offered the group's support to Hezbollah in Lebanon, where Israeli air strikes have resumed in the south of the country despite a fragile truce being in place since November.

The recent flare-up of violence in Lebanon came just days into Israel's renewed offensive in Gaza last week, which shattered the relative calm in the enclave since a January 19 ceasefire came into effect. At least seven people were killed in southern Lebanon on Saturday, marking one of the highest single-day casualty tolls from Israeli air strikes since a fragile ceasefire was agreed to in November between Hezbollah and Israel, ending 14 months of conflict, including two months of full-scale war.

In a speech on Sunday, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik Al Houthi said the group was ready to stand with Hezbollah and the Lebanese people “in confronting the enemy and deterring its crimes”.

“Just as we told the Palestinian people and their resistance: you are not alone, we are with you, we also say it to the Lebanese people and Hezbollah: You are not alone, we are by your side,” Mr Al Houthi said.

The Houthis have launched hundreds of attacks on vital shipping lanes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, claiming to be hitting Israeli interests. The group has also fired missiles at Israel – the vast majority of which have been intercepted.

“We will not watch the Zionist attacks on Lebanon, and we affirm our firm, principled position to support our brothers in Hezbollah and the Lebanese people in any major developments,” Mr Al Houthi added.

A Houthi security troop holds a fragment of a missile at the site of a US air strike in Sanaa. Reuters

The Houthis and Hezbollah are backed by Tehran and are part of the so-called Axis of Resistance, but the Lebanese group has typically had much closer direct ties to Iran.

The Houthis currently face US bombardment. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump ordered air strikes on Houthi-held areas in Yemen, promising to use “overwhelming lethal force” until the Iran-backed rebels stop their attacks on ships.

US strikes on Yemen launched last week were aimed at Houthi leadership and critical infrastructure, the White House said on Sunday. National Security Adviser Michael Waltz did not identify the leaders, but said a top missile specialist had been a target.

“We’ve hit key Houthi leadership, including their head missileer. We've hit their headquarters, we've hit communications nodes, weapons factories, and even some of their over-the-water drone production facilities, just in the last couple of days,” Mr Waltz told CBS News.