As tensions continue to rise across the Middle East amid efforts to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza, an oil tanker was attacked on Wednesday in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen. Men in small boats fired on the ship while more attacks came from the air. The tanker was last seen drifting and on fire, but no casualties were reported.
While no one has claimed responsibility yet, the attack is the latest episode in more than 80 similar attacks by the militant group known as the Houthis. The US and Europe have condemned the Houthis actions, which have disrupted global shipping. But inside Yemen, the Houthis maritime campaign has popular support.
The World’s Host Marco Werman spoke with Abdulghani Al-Iryani, who is an analyst at the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies in Yemen.
Marco Werman: What do you make of the situation?
Abdulghani Al-Iryani: The Houthis have made it very clear from the start that they’re going to lay siege on trade going to Israel as long as Gaza is under siege. They have, of course, not been very precise at targeting Israeli ships. And some of the strikes were indiscriminate. But the objective, as declared, is that they are laying siege to Israel.
Now, shipping companies have been rerouting vessels to avoid the Red Sea, and that’s led to international condemnation, as you know, of the Houthis. How are shipping attacks seen by people inside Yemen?
The Yemenis are very passionate about the Palestinian cause and Palestinian suffering, and they’re tired of seeing dead babies in Gaza. And so, although they know that the acts of the Houthis in the Red Sea will cause further hardship, they are willing to pay the price. For them, it is worth it to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
I mean, the Houthis don’t control all of the Yemen. So, are you saying everyone supports this despite the hardships?
Yes. In fact, the population at large is in support of the Palestinians. I have personally heard commanders who are in the forces that are fighting the Houthis declare that they are pro-Houthi in support of the Houthis’ actions in the Red Sea.
I mean, it’s a bit of a head-scratcher because, under Houthi control, people are going hungry. Civil liberties have been breached, and a lot of people have been arrested and disappeared. So, why are they popular?
They were not. That’s the irony of it all. The Houthis are generally hated.
But it’s fair to say they’re popular today, it sounds like, yeah?
Yeah, they are able to mobilize hundreds of thousands of people to the city squares. But I don’t think this popularity will last much longer because the Houthis are really hated by the general population. They are so corrupt and so ruthless.
So, that’s interesting. They’re hated, but right now they’re admired for their willingness to attack interests that are connected to Israel and the US?
That’s correct. Yes. Some people in Yemen know that the price that the general public in Yemen will pay for this act of solidarity is disproportionate to the benefit that may come out of it for the Palestinians. But Yemenis, as I said, are exceptionally passionate about the Palestinian people.
The Houthis are being seen as a full partner in the Iranian-sponsored Axis of Resistance — that includes Hezbollah and Hamas — but that’s new. The Houthis used to claim to be independent of Iran. What changed?
That is correct. The Houthis have been somewhat independent of Iran, and the difference between them and Hezbollah is that they do not have the same religious values. The Houthis are not the brand of Shia that is common in Iran, and therefore, they do not owe religious loyalty to the leader of Iran, [Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei.
And they are more likely to break away from Iran if their interests become different from those of Iran. But when they started the actions in the Red Sea — and they, of course, then invited the retaliation of the US and Britain, and the EU possibly at some point — they knew that they need the protection of being a fully integrated member of the Axis of Resistance led by Iran, so that if they are targeted in a big way by the West, they will have the support of other members of the Axis of Resistance.
And they are more likely to break away from Iran if their interests become different from those of Iran. But when they started the actions in the Red Sea — and they, of course, then invited the retaliation of the US and Britain, and the EU possibly at some point — they knew that they need the protection of being a fully integrated member of the Axis of Resistance led by Iran, so that if they are targeted in a big way by the West, they will have the support of other members of the Axis of Resistance.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
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