Houthis Ready For "Long-Term Confrontation" With U.S. And U.K.

Wires carrying comments from Houthi commander Mohamed al-Atifi stating that the Iran-backed group, which maintains de facto control over much of Yemen, is prepared for a "long-term confrontation" with the United States and the United Kingdom.

• al-Atifi: "We are prepared for a long-term confrontation with the forces of tyranny. The Americans, the British, and those who coordinated with them must realize the power of the sovereign Yemeni decision and that there is no debate or dispute over it."
• The statement comes as the US considers its response to Sunday's attack in Jordan which killed three US personnel, and Hamas considers a ceasefire proposal formulated in Paris over the weekend.
• The comments may challenge the prevailing wisdom that a formal ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel could lead to a subsequent decrease in attacks from Iran's regional proxies.
• The White House has been opaque beyond promising some sort of military response. The Wall Street Journal outlines three broad optionsfor Biden: 1: Strikes on Iranian territory or waters. 2: Strikes on Iranian proxy groups or Iranians abroad. 3: Sanctions or financial enforcement, with the third option, including “striking its paramilitary Quds Force personnel in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, hitting Iranian ships at sea or mounting a major attack on the Iranian-backed militia group that was deemed to be responsible” appearing most likely.