Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthis go all-out supporting Hamas and war

Three key Houthi leaders issued statements on Thursday regarding Gaza and their expanding war in the Red Sea that targets commercial shipping containers.

The Iranian-backed Houthis ramped up attacks in the Red Sea in the last week and say they will target all ships bound for Israel.

On Wednesday, President Isaac Herzog slammed the terrorist Islamic movement in an unprecedented statement.“The Houthis have crossed a redline in the Red Sea,” he said. “The US-led international activities against the Houthi terror pirates must be bolstered and strengthened in the form of a truly international coalition.”

The Houthis are now going all-out with their statement. The group’s so-called “field marshal,” Mahdi al-Mashat, who heads its supreme political council, issued a statement broadcast by the movement’s Al-Masirah network.

In addition, another member of the Houthis Political Bureau, Abdul-Malik Al-Ajri, also issued a statement. And if that wasn’t enough messaging, Muhammad Abdel Salam, head of the Houthi negotiation delegation that deals with foreign issues, also put out a statement. Salem confirmed that his group is backing a ceasefire in Gaza and humanitarian aid.

Houthis making an effort to grow regional influence

The reason this is noteworthy is because the kind of policy is fairly new for the Houthis, who began as a Yemen-based movement trying to take over the country. Then, from 2015 to 2022, it fought against Yemen’s government, which was backed by Saudi Arabia.

Having secured a ceasefire with Riyadh, the group seems to be trying to grow its influence around the region. As such, it is using the Iranian model of backing the Palestinians to achieve influence.

Most countries in the region don’t care about the Houthis and see them as a small local problem. They are now showing they will “ride” the Palestinian wave to expand their role – and also give themselves the right to attack ships in the Red Sea with impunity.

In his statement, Ajri said the US and other coalition partners would not be able to bring security to the Red Sea.“The only way to restore calm in the Red Sea is linked to the return of calm to Gaza,” he said.

Ajri also posted about this issue on X, formerly known as Twitter, discussing the “permanent ceasefire and lifting the siege on Gaza.”

Salam said: “In light of the operations in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, we are receiving several communications and messages from active countries confirming their support for the ceasefire in Gaza and their commitment to working to bring humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, and that they are against the expansion of the conflict.”

Mashat slammed the “American enemy” and discussed “Yemen’s defense of Palestine and Jerusalem and its support for Gaza,” which he said was as important as “defense of Yemen and the nation.”

“The crimes of the American enemy today in Gaza are not new, but rather, they are only one point in the record of its heinous crimes against humanity since its inception and appearance,” Mashat was quoted as saying by Al-Masirah. This is an important message of discipline for the Houthis, whose official slogan is: “Death to America, death to Israel, curse the Jews.” Their hatred for Israel and the US is not a secret. They have not usually acted on it, however, because they were fighting a mostly local war.

Iran sought to operationalize them in 2015 and to also use Yemen as a test bed for drones and ballistic missiles. The Houthis used these against Saudi Arabia and the Gulf. Their ability to strike Israel has grown.

Recently, they targeted Eilat numerous times. Israel has used F-35s and the Arrow system to defend its southernmost city. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant displayed photos of the Iron Dome in southern Israel, illustrating that it has been used in interceptions.

The Houthi statements on Thursday and widespread coverage of this issue in their media show that they are using Gaza as their new rallying cry. They want to potentially distract from problems at home by showcasing their ability to attack ships in the Red Sea.

So far, the Houthis have had impunity to do so, which has only made their appetite grow. 

Seth Frantzman is the author of Drone Wars: Pioneers, Killing Machine, Artificial Intelligence and the Battle for the Future (Bombardier 2021) and an adjunct fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies.