The Houthi official told Italian newspaper Corriere della sera that the recent attack on a US-owned ship in the Red Sea was a response to the airstrikes on Houthi positions in Yemen by the United States and the United Kingdom last week.
"Since that time, both their [US and UK] military and civilian ships have become legitimate targets," Amer said.
A potential naval blockade of Yemen to prevent the Houthis from receiving arms supplies from Iran will not be a problem, because all weapons used by the rebel movement are fully produced in Yemen, the official said. He also dismissed the statements about Iran's arms supplies to Yemen as "false."
"We have two goals: to support Palestinians and to retaliate against Americans and Britons. Therefore, we will continue blocking the passage of ships heading to Israel and will strike against the US and UK," Amer said.
The Houthis vowed in November to attack any ships associated with Israel until it halts military actions in the Gaza Strip. This led US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to announce the creation of a multinational operation to secure navigation in the Red Sea. US and UK forces launched major strikes against Houthi positions last week in a bid to degrade the rebels’ ability to target commercial vessels.