In the streets of Sanaa, Yemen's Houthi-controlled capital, support for the Palestinian cause is everywhere, with many cars displaying Palestinian flags, photos of Hamas spokesman Abu Obaida, or slogans showing support for the Palestinian people.
The Houthis, who form the de facto authority in northern and western Yemen, are also showing their support in other ways, including launching direct missile and drone attacks against Israel and against commercial ships believed to be owned by or linked to Israel or Israelis.
Since the war in the Gaza Strip began on October 7, the Houthis have targeted eight ships that they claimed were owned by Israeli businesspeople or by companies linked to Israel.
The Houthis’ military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said the Houthis would target commercial ships belonging to “Israeli corporations or entities.”
The Houthis also announced that they would target any ships going to Israel, regardless of the nationalities of their owners.
Expert: "The first targeting of such casualties is the Yemenis"
In a recent report, Yemen's Abaad Studies and Research Center said that the Houthi actions would limit the movements of commercial ships and add to shipping and insurance costs in the Red Sea and especially in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the entry point into the sea between Yemen and the African coast.
“These operations, in which the Houthis, and Iran behind them, have invested are an investment in the Israeli-Palestinian war, with the goal of appearing as an equal adversary to the United States of America and Israel in the region, and to win popular support for Iran and reinforce Iran’s position in its negotiations with the United States," the report said.
Journalist Saddam Al-Huraibi told The Media Line, “The group’s real agenda lies in being a tool for Iran by creating a threat to the ships and waterways in the Red Sea, benefiting Iran’s agenda in its conflict with the countries of the region."
Speaking about the repercussions of targeting ships in the Red Sea, Al-Huraibi said, “The first casualty of such targeting is the Yemenis, and the results of these attacks will prevent many shipping companies from passing through or entering Yemeni ports, which will constitute an economic crisis, a rise in the prices of materials, and a new siege against Yemeni citizens, which is what the group has sought since its control of the capital, Sanaa, and the other governorates under its control.”
He said the Houthi threats in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait will harm the region in general, and that the impact will reach Egypt's Suez Canal, the Gulf of Aden, and the Saudi port of Jeddah.
“The Houthis do not care and do not act like a government," he said. "We are looking at a militia and pirates whose goal is to be seen and to gain popular support, without considering any political or economic repercussions.”
The Houthi’s operations in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait have created international concerns for what is an important waterway for global trade and an essential link between East and West.
These concerns resulted in a meeting of foreign ministers from the G7 group of industrial nations, which called on the Houthis to stop threatening international waterways and commercial shipping lines, as well as to release the Israeli-linked cargo ship the Galaxy Leader, which was seized by the Houthis on November 17.
Houthi journalist: targeting Israeli ships essential to Palestinian cause
The statement was met with rejection and denunciation by the Houthis.
Maher Al-Khaled, a Houthi-affiliated journalist, told The Media Line that targeting Israeli ships was essential to advocate for the Palestinian cause, and that the group would continue to attack every target designated by the group’s leadership, whether on land or at sea.
“Ships in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and in the Arabian and Red Seas are legitimate targets for Ansar Allah [the official name of the Houthi movement]. These targets can be expanded,” Al-Khalid said.
“The Ansar Allah group now has an arsenal capable of hitting their targets on land and sea. Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea, and the Arabian Sea are within the group’s range of fire, in which any target of Israeli ships can be hit,” he said.
The Houthis' official spokesman, Muhammad Abdul Salam, posted on X (formerly Twitter): “The Yemeni forces are committed to protecting Yemeni waters in accordance with their sovereign rights,” and said that they would continue their military operations against Israeli ships and targets until the Israeli war on Gaza is stopped.
The multinational Combined Maritime Forces and the US have discussed a proposal to establish a naval task force to protect and accompany commercial ships in the region.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the attacks were “totally unacceptable” and that the US was speaking with other countries about setting up a maritime task force to ensure “safe passage of ships in the Red Sea,” the Financial Times reported.
In response, the Houthis and their leading figures in Yemen threatened to expand their operations to include all countries supporting Israel in the current war or standing against the group’s decision to target Israeli ships, including the US, UK, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
Abdullah Bin Amer, deputy head of the Houthis' Moral Guidance Department in northern Yemen, told The Media Line that the involvement of any party in stopping Houthi military operations would make that party a legitimate target.
He said the Houthis were targeting only Israeli national and private ships, other ships owned wholly or partially by Israelis, and all ships of any nationality heading to Israeli ports, and that other ships could pass without any obstacles.
“The United States supports its Israeli ally. In return, Yemen supports its Palestinian ally,” Bin Amer said.
Public support for Houthis gradually declines
Meanwhile, in Yemen, the public's acceptance of Houthi operations has gradually declined since the hijacking of the Galaxy Leader, which created popular support for the Houthis even in some areas not controlled by them.
However, the continued targeting of ships in the Red and Arabian seas, the Houthis' threat to close the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the possibility of an economic crisis developing amidst the declining number of ships docking at Yemen’s ports, and the possibility of military strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, have all contributed to a decline in popular support for the Houthis.
Ahlam Al-Qadhi, a professor of political sociology, told The Media Line the Houthi attacks and their attempts to use the Palestinian cause were of high importance to pollster popular support among Yemenis and the Arab world.
“The Houthis’ exploitation of the Palestinian issue, which is a very sensitive subject for Yemenis, contributed to increasing their political and social weight," Al-Qadhi said.
“[However,] the Houthis failed to meet their responsibilities towards Yemenis, such as improving the economic conditions and public life. These reasons contributed to the decline of the group’s popular support.”
Al-Qadhi said that Yemenis fear the repercussions from any upcoming war, especially the economic repercussions.
“Yemenis see the military operations in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Strait of Hormuz, as well as the expansion of these operations, as cause for increasing the severity of the potential economic crisis, which Yemenis fear more than anything,” he said.