Hezbollah's decision to resume war with Israel is 'wise,' say Houthis

Yemen's Houthi militiamen attacked forces and individuals in Lebanon on Thursday who have criticized Hezbollah since the resumption of war with Israel on March 2, stating that "Israeli aggression" against Lebanon is clear, in a statement echoing the main points of their leader Abdelmalek Badreddine al-Houthi.

"Despite the clarity of Israeli aggression towards Lebanon, some blame Hezbollah, hold it responsible, and seek to provoke it," said Abdelmalek al-Houthi, according to whom Hezbollah's decision to reopen the front against Israel was "legitimate, considered and wise, drawing on the considerable military efforts of Iran."

Hezbollah fired several rockets at Israel on March 2, triggering a violent response from the Jewish state, which heavily bombed South Lebanon, the Bekaa and the southern suburbs of Beirut, ending more than a year of cease-fire during which Israeli attacks had not ceased. The Shiite party launched its attack two days after Israel and the United States started a war against Iran, which the Houthis have recently joined.

The Lebanese state began the process of disarming Hezbollah and said it had been able to remove its heavy weapons from areas south of the Litani River. Since the resumption of the war, Israel has launched a large ground offensive to occupy part of South Lebanon.

The fighting continues and the government, which has toughened its stance against Hezbollah, accuses the group of dragging the country into a conflict it did not seek.

This position is shared by a large part of Lebanon's political class and population. More than a million people have been displaced by the fighting, which has already killed more than 1,300 people according to the Health Ministry's count.

The head of the Houthis also accused the United States of interfering in Iraq's political affairs to the point of putting a "veto" on the prime minister candidate, in reference to Washington's opposition to former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "The Americans conspire in every possible way against Iraq, and when Iraqi patriots act, they become irritated and incite local forces against them," Abdelmalek al-Houthi said.