Yemen Gov’t Blames Houthi ‘Terrorists’ for ‘Dragging’ Country into Conflict: Ship Attacks Have ‘No Connection’ to Supporting Gaza

Houthi fighters and tribesmen stage a rally against the U.S. and the U.K. strikes on Houth
AP Photo
Joshua Klein

The internationally recognized Yemeni government justified recent U.S. and U.K. strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, pointing to the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels’ “terrorist attacks” on commercial ships in the Red Sea, while deeming Houthi claims the attacks are in support of Palestinians as “propaganda.” Yemen also appeared to criticize the Biden administration’s previous removal of the Houthis from the Foreign Terrorist Organization list, which, it argued, “encouraged” the terror group to become a “threat to the security and stability of the entire world.”

In a press release Friday, the Saudi-backed, UN-recognized government of Yemen expressed “great concern” over the recent military escalation in the country and the southern Red Sea justified the recent American and British airstrikes in Yemen against the Houthis, which it called a “response to the continued terrorist attacks by the Houthi militias that threatens the security and safety of international navigation.”

In the statement, the government maintained that it exclusively holds the right to improve security and safety along Yemen’s coast of the Red Sea, while accusing the Shiite Houthi terrorist organization of instigating conflict in Yemen through unfounded claims of supporting the Palestinian cause.

“The Government holds the Houthi militia responsible for dragging the country into a military confrontation with misleading claims that have no real connection to supporting our brothers and sisters in the occupied Palestinian territories,” it reads.

The internationally-recognized government also appeared to blame, among other things, the Biden administration’s decision to remove the Iran-aligned Houthis from the U.S. list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) in early 2021, which critics had argued would embolden the Houthis.

“The Government recalls that some of the policies of the international community towards Yemen contributed to the survival and strengthening of the Houthi militias and encouraged them to commit more hostile actions that today represent a threat to the security and stability of the entire world,” the official communication states.

It concludes by reaffirming its stance on the Palestinian issue, calling for an end to Israel’s military operation in Gaza, urging rapid aid delivery, and highlighting the global risks of continued conflict.

Last month, the Yemeni Embassy in Washington, DC, denounced the Houthi rebels as a “terrorist organization that has been killing Yemenis ever since the coup of 2014.” 

Like Iran, the message continued, the Houthis “use the atrocities of the Israeli occupying state on the Palestinians to disguise their domestic terror.” 

According to Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak, the Houthis are exploiting the security of the Red Sea for internal propaganda purposes, as he emphasized that the group’s actions have no connection to supporting Palestinians.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Ambassador to the U.S. Mohammed Al-Hadhrami reiterated his call for the State Department to re-designate the Iran-backed Houthis as an FTO, a designation lifted by President Joe Biden in 2021, a month after the Trump administration applied the designation following an attack on Yemen’s Aden airport.

In November, the Yemeni government expressed its “absolute rejection of the acts of maritime piracy carried out by the Houthi militias recently, with the full support of the Iranian regime, in Yemeni territorial waters, which represents a serious threat to maritime navigation and international peace and security,” claiming such “terrorist acts would deepen the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, and double the economic burdens, insurance, and sea freight costs on ships heading to Yemeni ports.”

It also blamed the Houthis’ “terrorist attacks” on the “international community’s reluctance to deter the actions of the Houthi militias, which over the past years have launched dozens of armed robberies and naval bomb attacks against commercial ships of various nationalities, oil installations, and civilian infrastructure in neighboring countries.”

Last year, the internationally recognized government lauded the support of U.S. forces in intercepting Iranian weapons bound for the Houthi militias.

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The remarks come as the Houthis’ attacks on maritime vessels in the Red Sea have become a significant point of international concern, posing a strategic threat to America, its allies, and global economic stability.

In response, over the weekend, U.S. and U.K. forces conducted airstrikes on Houthi-controlled sites in the war-torn country.

Yemen is currently a divided country with multiple factions. The Yemeni government, which is internationally recognized and backed by a Saudi-led coalition, has been in conflict for nearly a decade with the Houthis, who currently control a significant portion of the country.

https://twitter.com/MashhourII/status/1035122739739324416

The Houthis, who are part of Iran’s “axis of resistance,” have been implicated in a multitude of human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law, including reintroducing slavery, torturing and executing civilians, and various forms of sexual violence.

They have also been accused of recruiting child soldiers, using civilians as human shields, and hindering humanitarian efforts, such as diverting international aid and obstructing aid distribution. Additionally, the Houthis enforce restrictive measures on women and girls, including travel bans without a male guardian and sexual abuse of detainees. 

Their actions, often paralleling the oppressive conditions seen in Taliban-controlled areas, have significantly contributed to the ongoing humanitarian crisis and suffering of the Yemeni people.

Despite this, many Palestinian supporters have come out in support of the Houthis and their recent maritime attacks, all while portraying themselves as supporters of Yemen.

However, despite claims the attacks are due to Israel’s current conflict in Gaza, the Houthis have consistently targeted a range of vessels in the Red Sea over the years, including military and commercial ships. Key incidents include the attack on the USS Mason in 2016, the targeting of a Saudi warship and a Turkish ship carrying wheat in 2017, the missile strikes on multiple commercial vessels in the Red Sea in 2018, and an attack on a UAE ship loaded with medical supplies in 2022.

With an eye on nuclear weapons and through support for terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Houthis in Yemen, Iran — the largest state-sponsor of terrorism worldwide — continues to be a growing global threat to the interests of many countries.

Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.

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