Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council said the time for decisive action to retake state institutions from the Houthi group has come. Othman al-Majali, a member of the council, in a statement published on Friday by Yemen’s official news agency (Saba), said the cost of peace with the Houthies has been far higher than the cost of confronting them.

Abdulrahman al-Muhraimi, another member of the council and commander of the Giant Brigades, said in a message on his X account that Yemen has extended its hand for fair peace, but its forces are ready for a fateful battle.

In response, the Houthi group, in a statement, warned that continuing what it calls the “siege of Yemen” would be considered an all-out war, and urged its forces to raise their level of readiness.

The Houthi group is supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The group was also placed on the Specially Designated Global Terrorists list as of January 2024.

Three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters last week that the Islamic Republic has asked the Houthis that if U.S. attacks target infrastructure, they should close the route of the Red Sea. The Bab al-Mandab Strait, at the entrance to the Red Sea, is one of the main choke points of global trade.