Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which broke out following the deadly attack perpetrated in Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023, the Houthi Ansar Allah movement has carried out dozens of attacks targeting Israel and Israeli interests as well as American and other Western marine vessels in the Red Sea, the Bab El-Mandeb Strait, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. Severely disrupting global trade, these attacks have drawn the world’s attention to the Houthi movement, which is a proxy of Iran. The Houthis, for their part, are using this attention in a bid to shed their image as an Iranian proxy. They seek to elevate their international stature and position themselves as an influential regional power in their own right, part of the anti-American global axis that comprises Russia, China and the BRICS[1] countries.
Virulent hatred for the U.S., Israel, and the Jews, to the extent of blatant antisemitism, is an integral part of the Houthi identity and is used by the Houthi leadership to gain sympathy and support among the Yemeni population. The most obvious expression of this hatred is the movement’s motto: “Allahu akbar, death to America, death to Israel, cursed be the Jews, victory to Islam.” The U.S., Israel and the Jews are presented as the enemies of Islam and of mankind in speeches and sermons by Houthis leaders and clerics, at mass rallies and in activities for children. Over the years MEMRI has translated dozens of these speeches, sermons and statements from Houthi officials and reported on military parades and rallies in areas under Houthi control.
The following is a review of reports and videos published by MEMRI in this context.
The Houthis Seek To Position Themselves As A Regional Power Opposing The U.S. And The West
On March 16, 2024, Ali Al-Qahoum, a member of Ansar Allah’s political bureau, published a post on X praising the Houthi role in the struggle against the “hegemony” of the U.S., Britain and the West. The post reads: “There is a continuous development in the international relations between Yemen, Russia, China, and the BRICS countries, and an exchange of experience and expertise in various fields. This is due to a common interest in drowning America, Britain, and the West in the swamp of the Red Sea and the high seas. [Our] goal is to make it [the U.S.] sink and disappear, and weaken its unipolarity.
“This is not only an analysis, but rather a clear and present reality. Yemen… entered the equation of supporting Palestine and ably strengthened the equation of the Red Sea, which constitutes a major and strategic equation with major effects and implications on the balance of the military, security, political and economic results. Yemen achieved this with unparalleled vigour and pride thanks to Allah, our brave, wise, and beloved leader, and proud nation, to such an extent that the superpowers began knocking on its [Yemen’s] doors, coordinating and building mutual relations with it, making arrangements for the foreseeable future, and preparing for the historic defeat of America, Britain, and the West, and the collapse of the colonial project and Western hegemony in the region and the world.”
See MEMRI JTTM report, Senior Members Of Yemen’s Iran-Backed Ansar Allah Movement Declare Cooperation With Russia, China; Defend Group’s ‘Right’ To Ally With Countries Hostile To U.S, March 18, 2024.
Houthi Shura Council Member: Everyone Hostile To America Is Our Friend, We Will Welcome Exchange Of Military Expertise
On March 17, 2024, Abdulsalam Jahhaf, a member of the Houthi Shura Council, shared a post on X defending the group’s “right” to establish international relations with countries hostile to the U.S. The post reads: “We have the right to establish relations with Russia, China, Iran, the BRICS countries, Cuba, and [North] Korea. Everyone hostile to America is our friend. We will widely accept alliances and exchange of military expertise and information. This is a natural result of the West’s aggression against us and against our people in Gaza, under the leadership of America.”
See MEMRI JTTM report, Senior Members Of Yemen’s Iran-Backed Ansar Allah Movement Declare Cooperation With Russia, China; Defend Group’s ‘Right’ To Ally With Countries Hostile To U.S, March 18, 2024.
Houthis Hold Military Exercise Simulating Confrontation With U.S., British Forces
On March 15, the group released a photoset documenting a military exercise simulating confrontation with American and British forces.
See MEMRI JTTM report, Houthi Ansar Allah Movement Releases Photos Documenting Military Exercise Simulating Confrontation With U.S., U.K., And Paratrooper Landing, March 15, 2024.
Strengthening Relations With Palestinian Factions; Coordination With Hamas Regarding Crew Of Highjacked “Galaxy Leader” Ship
On March 15 and 16, 2024, it was reported that representatives of the Houthi Ansar Allah movement and senior officials from three Palestinian factions – Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestinian (DFLP) – had held a meeting in Lebanon to discuss coordination between them in the context of the war against Israel in the Gaza Strip. The Houthis stressed their willingness to continue with “assistance operations” in the Red Sea, the Bab El-Mandeb Strait, and the Indian Ocean for the next two years.
See MEMRI JTTM report, Palestinian And Lebanese Media Outlets: Representatives Of Houthi Ansar Allah Movement Meet Secretly With Officials From Three Palestinian Factions; Willing To Assist Militarily Against Israel For Coming Two Years, March 18, 2024.
On March 7, 2024, the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera website published an article about the collaboration between the Houthis and Hamas, against the backdrop of the war in the Gaza Strip. The article quoted senior Houthi and Hamas officials who claimed that the two movements had also coordinated the decisions regarding the crew members from the Galaxy Leader commercial vessel that was hijacked by the Houthis on November 19, 2023.
See MEMRI JTTM report, Al-Jazeera: Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades Coordinating With Groups In Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Since October 7; Ansar Allah (Houthis) Put Decision Regarding Crew Of Seized Ship ‘At Al-Qassam’s Disposal’, March 10, 2024.
Video Compilations
The following are seven compilations of videos which present the Houthi threats to the U.S., the Gulf States and Israel, and include displays of Houthi military capabilities. They also reveal the antisemitic aspects of the Houthi ideology, as expressed in statements by Houthi political and military leaders, in sermons delivered by preachers and in speeches at military parades.
Senior Houthi Officials: U.S. Responsible For War In Ukraine, Militarization In Red Sea
The following video compilation includes statements by officials such as Houthi leader ‘Abd Al-Malik Badr Al-Din; Ansar Allah Political Bureau members Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti, Abdullah Al-Na’ami and Abd Al-Wahhab Al-Mahbashi; Supreme Political Council members Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi and sheikh Sultan Al-Samie; Information Minister Dayfallah Al-Shami and his deputy Nasr Al-Din Amer, Health Minister Dr. Taha Al-Mutawakkil; Tourism Minister Ahmad Al-Aly; Supreme Revolutionary Council member Khaled Al-Madani; TV host and undersecretary for girls’ education at the Houthi education ministry Boshra Al-Mahtouri, and Ali Al-Halili, spokesman for the Future of Justice organization. These Houthi officials incite against the U.S. and threaten to attack its vessels at sea, while some of the videos were filmed onboard the hijacked Galaxy Leader. Others include antisemitic statements and threats against the UAE.
Houthi Military Personnel: We Have Developed Missiles With A Range Exceeding 2,500 Kilometers
The videos presented below present statements by Houthi military personnel detailing Houthi military capabilities; Houthi claims of responsibility for attacks against Israeli targets since October 7, 2023, claims of responsibility for attacks on the UAE. and threats to attack American forces in the Red Sea.
The following senior Houthi officials appear in this compilation: Brigadier General Abdul Ghani Al-Zubaidi; military expert Muhammad Hussein Al-Mansour; Naval Staff Brigadier General Yahya Saree’; spokesman for the military forces Colonel Mujib Shamsan; military expert and strategic analyst, Brigadier General Abdallah Al-Jafari; and military expert Sharaf Luqman, spokesman for the Houthi forces.
This compilation also includes a report about corporal punishment and executions carried out by the Houthis; a student rally in Hajjah where threats were made to attack Israel and New York; and footage of a rally of Houthi women in Al-Jawf at which they demonstrated against Israel and the West.
Houthi Preachers And Clerics
The following clips present sermons and interviews with Houthi clerics, such as Muhammad Miftah; Shams Al-Din Sharaf Al-Din, the mufti of Yemen; Hamdi Ziad; Ibrahim Al-Ubeidi; Ahmad Al-Shami; and Abdallah Al-Lahji. They threaten and incite against the U.S., the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel and UN agencies, make antisemitic statements, express support for the Houthi military industry and repeat conspiracy theories regarding the September 11, 2001 attacks and the COVID pandemic.
Military Parades And Displays
The clips in the compilation below document military parades organized by the Houthis, displays of Zilzal missiles, simulated attacks against Israeli and American targets, and demonstrations of armed women who support the Houthis.
Reports In Houthi Media: U.S. Is Behind September 11 Attacks
This compilation includes articles that appeared in the Houthi media which claim that the American government planned the September 11 attacks, and an animated film screened in the Houthi media which contends that the U.S. and the Jews deceive and harm Arabs.
Indoctrination Of Children
The videos below present the values and concepts taught to the younger generation in areas controlled by the Houthis, and includes footage of a show of support for the residents of Gaza in which children are seen bearing arms and shouting slogans against the U.S. and Israel. Also presented are conspiracy theories regarding the September 11 attacks and material glorifying martyrdom.
Expressions Of Support From Houthi Allies
The following videos present expressions of affinity and support from members of the resistance axis led by Iran and Hizbullah: from Iran, Iraq and Gaza, as well as Houthi support for the Lebanese Hizbullah. The videos include footage of Iraqi Hizbullah Brigades launching a campaign to fund Houthi drones; a rally in Gaza in support of the Houthis; statements from Iranian General Gholmani Rashid, commander of Khatam Al-Anbiya central headquarters; a Houthi donation drive for Hizbullah, and statements from Iranian cleric Mehdi Taeb, advisor to Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei.