Yemen's Houthis seek propaganda boost from deadly US strikes

Time of India

24-04-2025

As America's escalated bombing campaign and economic sanctions hit Yemen hard, the Iran-backed Houthis rebels in Washington's crosshairs are trying to mine the situation for propaganda and recruitment, analysts said.
On Monday, four days after 80 people were killed in US strikes on a fuel port, the Houthiss released a slick promotional video showing special forces marching over the Israeli flag and somersaulting through flaming hoops.
Against a soundtrack of dramatic music, the masked soldiers fire automatic weapons at targets bearing the American, Israeli and British flags -- the three countries involved in attacks on Yemen since January last year.
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The Houthiss, part of Iran's "axis of resistance" against Israel and the US, have painted themselves as defenders of Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war, launching a drumbeat of missiles and drones both at Israel and at cargo vessels plying the key Red Sea trade route.
In response, the administration of US President Donald Trump has ramped up pressure on the group, redesignating it a terrorist organisation and carrying out near-daily air strikes that have killed more than 200 people since mid-March.
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"The Houthiss are absolutely trying to use the intensified campaign of
US air strikes
for propaganda purposes," said Thomas Juneau, a Middle East specialist at the University of Ottawa's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.
"They are actively using information operations to try to position themselves as champions of the resistance against the United States and its regional partners, including to maximise recruitment domestically."
- Child soldiers -
The Houthiss, whose regular rallies against the United States and Israel are attended by large crowds in the rebel-held capital Sanaa, have urged Yemenis to mobilise.
They say that tens of thousands had signed up for military training since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip.
In February last year, Human Rights Watch warned that child recruitment for the rebels' armed forces had "noticeably" increased since the
Gaza war
began in October 2023.
Rebel television aired interviews with survivors of last week's attack on the Ras Issa fuel port, the deadliest of the US campaign, who vowed support for Gaza even as they lay wounded on stretchers.
The US escalation "comes at a steep human cost, which could intensify Houthis mobilisation and recruitment", said US-based Yemen expert Mohammed Albasha.
But the US raids have also succeeded in destroying some Houthis military capabilities and have forced its leadership into hiding, analysts say.
The Houthiss managed to survive a decade of air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition and more than a year of US attacks aimed at deterring their harassment of Red Sea shipping.
"The difference with the American bombing campaign is its relentless pursuit of Houthis leadership," said Maged al-Madhaji, chairperson of the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies, an independent think-tank.
Attacks on communication networks and control centres have caused "unprecedented damage to the movement's infrastructure", he added.
"However, this damage can be repaired if the campaign stops and neither a ground operation nor a political path is pursued. The Houthiss are capable of adapting and enduring pressure."
- Economic damage 'much bigger' -
Meanwhile, Washington is strangling the rebels financially, sanctioning banks and hitting infrastructure like the Ras Issa fuel terminal -- a vital source of energy and funds for the Houthiss' precarious economy.
Returning the rebels to the US terror list makes it risky for companies to operate in their territory, including by importing materials, as they could face sanctions of their own.
"The economic damage is much bigger than just (military strikes)," said Baraa Shiban, a Yemen specialist at Britain's Royal United Services Institute, a security think-tank.
He also questioned the effectiveness of the Houthis propaganda among a population already reeling from more than a decade of war with the Saudi-led coalition.
"People are frustrated, tired, and they're exhausted. And, you know, the economic situation is very, very dire," Shiban said.
"People just want the cycle of violence to end."