The Iran-backed Houthis are seeking legitimacy for their increased attacks on ships in the Red Sea. On Tuesday their media arm, Al-Masirah, published several articles trying to highlight their actions.
For instance, they claim that ships ignored their warnings, essentially blaming the victims of their attacks. The Houthis attacked three ships over the weekend and have attacked several other ships, as well as threatening the US Navy and hijacking one commercial vessel.
Axis of resistance
On Tuesday the Houthis said that it had received support from Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The Yemen-based terrorist group claim that its role in the Red Sea is a “strategic victory” and this is part of Iran’s “axis of resistance.”
The Houthis use a statement ascribed to the PIJ to emphasize this point. The article argues that the group's operations are “hitting the nerve of the Israeli enemy’s economy,” and that this combines with other fronts against the Jewish state. Iran’s policy in recent years has been to unify these fronts, and bringing the Houthis into the battle has been a major accomplishment for Tehran.
It has also pushed Hezbollah to attack Israel in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attack. In addition, Iranian proxies in Iraq and Syria have carried out 76 attacks on US forces and there have been increased threats to Israel from Syria in recent weeks.
The Houthi media also highlights how the Hamas movement now has a representative in Yemen. The article quotes him as saying that the Houthi “operations prove its seriousness in breaking the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, stressing that the continuation of operations in the Red Sea accelerates the pace of ending the Israeli-American aggression against Gaza.”
This statement says that the Houthi attacks have changed the “equation” in the region. Indeed, the attacks in the Red Sea are a new phenomenon and escalation.
The Houthis view this as a “moral obligation for Yemen, adding that closing the Bab al-Mandab Strait to 'Israeli' ships aims to end the aggression against the Gaza Strip.” It is not clear why they put the name “Israeli” in quotes, perhaps in part because they do not recognize the Jewish state, but also because the group has attacked commercial ships that are not Israeli.
“The operations of the Yemeni [Houthi] Navy in the Red Sea against the movement of ships of the Zionist enemy entity cast a shadow on the economy of the temporary entity, as the Marine Traffic website, which specializes in tracking maritime transport movement, explained that the [number of] ships expected to arrive in... Umm Al-Rashrash port Eilat is zero,” Al-Masirah said. This appears to be a reference to a website that tracks ships. The Houthis now seem intent on ensuring that the port of Eilat is not operating, the article claims.
“Enemy ships were also forced to take the Mediterranean route and circle around the African continent to reach the Indian Ocean and Asian markets, while the cost of marine insurance on enemy ships increased,” the report says. “The statement confirmed that the Yemeni armed forces continue to prevent Israeli ships from navigating the Red and Arab seas until the Israeli aggression against our brothers in the Gaza Strip stops.”