Opponents Of The Houthi Movement Welcome Israeli Attack On Al-Hudaydah: 'The Houthis Are The Greatest Threat To The Arab World'

On July 20, 2024, Israeli planes attacked several targets, including oil facilities and a power station, in and around the Yemeni port of Al-Hudaydah, which is under the control  of the Houthi Ansar Allah movement. According to reports in the Houthi media, at least six people were killed in the airstrikes and over 80 were wounded. The attack – which was Israel's first declared operation against the Houthi stronghold – came in response to a Houthi drone strike on Tel Aviv that killed an Israeli civilian and wounded several others, and following dozens of previous attacks by the Houthis on various targets in Israel. In addition to their strikes against Israel, and as part of the Iranian strategy of the 'unity of the fronts,'[1] the Houthis have also been targeting Red Sea shipping since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas that broke out after the latter's October 7, 2023 massacre in southern Israel.[2]

The Arab states that oppose the Houthi movement were restrained in their official responses of to the Israeli  attack. Saudi Arabia, which itself waged a blood-soaked war on the Houthis for years, did not condemn the Israeli operation. Saudi Defense Ministry spokesperson Turki Al-Maliki clarified that his country had no part in it and stressed that Saudi Arabia "would not allow anyone to violate its airspace."[3]  A statement by the Saudi Foreign Ministry said that the kingdom it was "following with great concern the developments of the military escalation in Yemen after the Israeli attacks in Al Hudaydah," which "aggravate the current tension in the region and halt the ongoing efforts to end the war on Gaza."[4] The Egyptian Foreign Ministry issued a statement in a similar vein.[5]

The internationally recognized Yemeni government sufficed with a statement by an anonymous "official" who condemned the Israeli attack but also the Houthis for dragging Yemen into pointless wars in the service of Iran.[6]  

Conversely, journalists and social media users, mainly Saudi ones, expressed satisfaction over the Houthis' plight and even welcomed the Israeli attack.  They rejected the Houthis' claim that it was an Israeli act of "aggression," stating that the airstrikes were a legitimate response to the Houthis' attacks on Israel. Some compared the Houthis to Hamas, saying that both organizations are willing to sacrifice their people for the sake of Iran, and also mocked the Houthis' military abilities as compared to Israel's. Others claimed that the Houthis, like the other Iran-backed militias in Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories,  act against the Arab states and endanger them, so they must not be surprised that the Arabs refuse to support them when Israeli attacks them.  Another claim was that the Houthis fight their own people and have brought Yemen only devastation and destruction. Some writers advised the Yemenis to use the Israeli attack as an opportunity of to overthrow the Houthi movement.

Below is a sampling of reactions by opponents of the Houthis to the attack on Al-Hudaydah.  

Glee Over The Houthis' Plight; The Israeli Attack Was A Not "Aggression" But A Legitimate Response; "Thank You, Israel"  

As stated, some users on X (formerly Twitter) justified the Israeli attack on Al-Hudaydah port, calling it a legitimate response to the Houthi attacks, and some even welcomed it.  Hussein Abd Al-Hussein, a Jordanian journalist based in the U.S., wrote in English: "Houthis said that they are going to 'respond to #Israel aggression” on Hodeida. Hamas called their October 7 war on Israel 'Israeli aggression on Gaza.' Note to Houthis, Hamas: Aggression is the side that starts war. Response is the reaction."[7]

Saudi writer Abd Al-Aziz Al-Khames wrote: "[The Houthis] fire rockets and strike targets inside Israel, and then cry when [Israel] attacks their oil depots and say that they are important sources [of energy] for the people. If you care about the people, why do you take risks by [firing] the rockets of Iran's [Supreme Leader], who does not care about your people and regards you as nothing more than a bargaining chip in [negotiations] with the U.S. and who can silence you with a single phone call[?] Most ridiculous of all are those who condemn [Israel's] attacks on civilian targets, as though the Houthis and their ilk do not do the same. If you enter into a war, you must bear the consequences."[8]  

Bandar Al-Otaibi Al-Hawazni, an X user from Riyadh, shared a picture and a video of the fire at the Al-Hudaydah port, and commented in English: "Thank you, Israelis" and "well done, Israeli planes."[9]

The Iran-Backed Miltias Are The Greatest Threat To The Arab States And Their Peoples

Another argument was that the Houthis, like the other Iran-backed militias in the Arab countries, such as Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Palestinian territories, Hizbullah in Lebanon and Al-Hashd Al-Sha'bi in Iraq, are the greatest threat to the Arab states and their peoples.  

Algerian journalist Anwar Malek wrote: "The Iranian battlefields are [located in] the Arab states, far from Persian territory. The victims are Syrians, Yemenis, Lebanese, Ahwazis, Iraqis and Palestinians, and it is only the infrastructures of Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq and Gaza that are destroyed. And then [various] fools, and agents of the mullahs, such as the Houthis, Hizbullah, Al-Hashd [Al-Sha'bi], and supporters of Assad, Hamas and the [Palestinian] Islamic Jihad, come along and talk about wide-scale wars against Israel, America and [other] great forces for the sake of the Arab homeland. Ultimately, the greatest threat to the Arabs' survival and the Arab borders [is posed by] those who have turned the Arab lands into an arena for filthy wars – [wars] that promote the interests of Iran, which, out of racism and sectarianism, is taking revenge on the Arab present in the Arab countries by means of Arab [forces]."[10]

Yemeni journalist Hussein Al-Wada'i wrote: "Our Arab brethren! The Houthis are just a gang of thugs that have taken over a country and are trying to use its institutions and resources to further their sectarian interests and the strategic interests of their sponsor, Iran. We condemn the Israeli attack on the Al-Hudaydah port, but that is not the issue. Several days before [the attack], the Houthis threatened war against Saudi Arabia, and before that they threatened war against all the Gulf states. They have targeted international shipping and put Yemen in direct confrontation with America and Britain. [In fact,] they have been screaming for years that their real war is with the Americans! In short, the Houthis are a movement that attracts wars, conflicts and foreign intervention. If they don't instigate a war with Israel, they will [provoke] Saudi Arabia. And if Saudi Arabia fails to respond, they will instigate an international conflict with America in the Red Sea. And if America does not respond, they will seek [to start] a war with the Emirates, Kuwait or Bahrain, or any country whose positions are not aligned with the strategy of their Iranian sponsor and with the perception of 'the unity of the fronts'..."[11]   

Why Should Saudi Arabia Help The Houthis, Who Attacked It?

Many writers slammed the Houthi leaders for expecting the Arabs to help them following the Israeli attack despite their former attacks on Saudi Arabia. Algerian journalist Anwar Malek shared a statement by Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree calling on Yemen's "Arab brethren" for help, and commented:  "The Houthis show hostility to the Arabs, destroy Yemen, fight the people and play a despicable role in Gaza to further the interests of [Iranian leader] Khamenei and to the detriment of the Arab countries – and then, [when they want help],  they turn to those on whom they declared war, not to Iran, whom they love so much…"[12]

Saudi writer Mustafa Al-Na'ami advised the Houthis to ask Iran for help: "Call those who sent you to burn your country like brainless collaborators."[13]

Iraqi liberal Sufian Al-Samarrai shared an infographic about the Houthis' missile- and drone-attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, and remarked that the Houthis "use the territory of all the neighboring sovereign countries to undermine shipping. Now that the devastating response has come and crushed them, along with their master, Khamenei, who is hiding in the sewers of Tehran, they claim that there is a conspiracy against Islam, and [complain] that the enemy is using the airspace of the neighboring countries [to target them]. [Now] they weep, shout and call for support."[14]  

U.S.-based Lebanese journalist Hussein Abd Al-Hussein posted in English: "Yesterday, [the] Houthis berated #Saudi Arabia, [and] threatened its economy, its 2030 Vision plan.[15] Today, #Israel's Long Arm slapped the Houthis on their maritime face. Where do you think Saudis stand on this? [Do you think they will go] against their [own] interests for the sake of Palestine? Palestine Shmalestine..."[16]

The Houthis Are Servants Of Iran; They Have Brought Yemen Nothing But Devastation

Many argued that the Houthis, like the other Iran-backed militias in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian territories, do not hesitate to harm their own people for the sake of Iran's interests and in order to suppress internal dissidence.

Saudi writer Dr. Muhammad Al-Quaiz wrote that "Iran is pushing the Yemenis toward a holocaust without giving them anything in return, just for the sake of Iran's interests. When will they awaken, those who are fooled by the slogans of Iran and its collaborators in the region?"[17]

Kuwaiti liberal Jassem Al-Juraid shared a video of the Al-Hudaydah port in flames, and wrote: "The one to benefit most [from this attack] is [Iranian Leader Ali] Khamenei. The plan to destroy the Arab capitals by means of the program to 'liberate Jerusalem' is very successful…"[18]  

Saudi journalist Abd Al-Latif bin Abdullah Aal Sheikh likened the Houthis to Hamas, stating that, just as Hamas has sacrificed the Gaza Strip, the Houthis are sacrificing their people for the sake of Iran, which will not come to their rescue. He wrote: "Why does the Yemeni people have to suffer all these airstrikes? Is [Houthi leader] Abd Al-Malik Al-Houthi trying to paralyze Yemen, just like Hamas decided to hand over all of Gaza to Israel, in front of the entire world, while Iran did not lift a finger [to help]? Hamas' reckless attack  caused tens of thousands to be killed or displaced,… expanded the area of Israel's settlements in occupied Palestine, and made the situation [even] more complicated than it was. [And] all this happened while Saudi Arabia was pressuring Israel and making serious efforts to resolve the Palestinian issue… Now the Al-Hudaydah port is in ruins, which will surely spell destruction for the economy of the entire country. The Houthi scenario repeats the scenario played out by Hamas, and the major allies in Tehran and Lebanon [i.e., Iran and Hizbullah] are not lifting and will not lift a finger [to help], except by hitting some [transmission] poles[19] and [accusing] the Arabs [in the Gulf] of treason and of selling their countries to Israel for nothing…"[20] 

Yemeni journalist Muhammad Al-Dhabyani wrote: "The greatest gang, which rejoiced, chortled and celebrated the Zionist attack on Al-Hudaydah port, was the Houthi [gang itself], which has brought Yemen nothing but devastation, terrorism and destruction. Its bitterest enemies are the Yemenis [themselves], for it plots against them,  destroys their present and boobytraps their future. The Houthis and the Zionists are both terrorists. #The_Houthis_bring_destruction_upon_Yemen.[21]

Algerian journalist Anwar Malek wrote: "Iran's strategic goal in maintaining the Houthi terrorist gang is to destroy Yemen and transform it into a source of chaos that will instigate civil wars in the region, disrupt shipping and international trade, and threaten the security of Saudi Arabia and the [other] countries of the region. [Iran] has achieved a lot through the Houthis' absurd wars against the Yemeni people. The rest will be achieved by means of external Houthis bombings by Western countries and Israel, who are the mullah's partners in this plan. It was for the sake of this filthy objective that [the Western countries] fought the Arab coalition [led by Saudi Arabia, which was fighting the Houthis in Yemen] and made an organized effort to blacken its image and prevent it from concluding its mission [the mission] of fighting [Iran's] Qods force and the Houthis in Yemen and rescuing [Yemen] from the devastation planned for it in the chambers of the [Iranian] robe-wearers and the IRGC headquarters. All the attacks by the U.S., Britain, Israel and others failed to harm Iran's strategic sites in Yemen, and it is the Yemenis who paid the price with the lives of their children and the infrastructures of their country…"[22]

The editor of the Kuwaiti daily Al-Siyassa, Ahmad Al-Jarallah, wrote: "Perhaps this is divine retribution. The evil of the Houthis has gone too far: they have begun to kill the people of northern Yemen, to change their beliefs and to use the young Sunnis of Yemen as human shields… Even the Land of the Two Holy Places [i.e., Saudi Arabia] was not safe from them. They damaged the economy of the Arab world, destroyed the cities of Yemen and looted its banks and its resources. The Houthis want to see Sanaa destroyed like Gaza. They destroyed northern Yemen and helped Israel to devastate Gaza. They fooled the ignorant, qat-chewing, lazy Yemenis with slogans like "Death to America," and "Death to Israel." Ten Israeli attacks put an end to the bluster of the Houthis and their overlords."[23]

Saudi journalist Kassab Al-Otaibi called on the Yemeni people, who he said welcomed the Israeli attack, to take this as an opportunity to "excise the cancerous growth of the Houthis, who have enslaved Yemen to Iran. Let Iran help those [Houthi] dogs. #The_Houthi_brings_devestation_upon_Yemen."[24] 

The Houthis Have Killed More Yemenis Than The Israelis Have Killed Palestinians

Yemeni journalist Hussein Al-Wada'i wrote that the goal of the Houthi attacks on Israel was to "cover up the [Houthis'] crimes against the Yemenis by fabricating heroic operations against the enemy." He added: "Very few people are aware of the daily hell suffered by the Yemenis since the Houthi invasion of Sanaa in 2014. Few are aware that this militia has killed more Yemenis than Israel has killed Palestinians. Few know that, over the past decade, four million Yemenis have lost their homes and livelihood and become displaced in their own homeland, and that 20 million Yemenis suffer permanent hunger. The attack [on Tel Aviv], which was just for show, achieved its goal. It covered up the hunger, the poverty and the devastation… The murderous sectarian [Houthis] became heroes… The militia that carries out dozens of arbitrary executions, rapes women in [its] prison and detonates people's homes over their heads… was purged of its crimes and is presented in public discourse as pure and faultless. The day [of the drone attack on Tel Aviv], the Houthi militia carried out a massacre in a mosque, killed and wounded 13 people and continued to fill its prisons with new detainees who disappear [and are lost] to their families for years… Any Yemeni victims who [dares to] speak out and mention the injustice of this militia becomes an enemy of the Arab masses... "[25]