SNA (Birmingham) — Yemen’s Houthi movement has been in the spotlight recently for its military actions in the Red Sea; multiple commercial ships have been targeted in an attempt to warn Western powers, in particular, the United States and the United Kingdom, to end their support for the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip. However, the decision to attack ships owned by the West has not been well received by all parties in Yemen, adding to the sense of turmoil.

So far, the Houthis have attacked multiple ships belonging to various large shipping companies, including the French container shipping line CMA CGM Group and Maersk, the world’s biggest shipping company.

The initial contact was made on November 19, when Houthis boarded the Galaxy Leader, an Israeli-owned commercial ship, which is still under Houthi control in Yemen’s Hodeidah port.

The move was made with the intention of getting Israel’s attention. Houthi spokesperson Abdusalam Salah explained, “The goal of the Yemeni move is to pressure Israel and its allies to lift the blockade imposed on food and medicine [in Gaza].”

A total blockade of Gaza was announced in early October by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and it remains active to this day, leaving more than two million civilians in Gaza deprived food, fuel, electricity, and to a large extent water.

Another Houthi spokesman, Mohamed Abdel-Salam, clearly stated the reasoning for the Houthi’s actions by saying, “We have emphasized to everyone that our operations are to support the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and that we cannot stand idly by in the face of the aggression and siege.”

But helping Palestinians may not be the only reason the Houthis are getting involved in the conflict, as the group shares a common ally with Palestine’s Islamic resistance movement Hamas–that common ally being Iran.

Both groups have openly been receiving financial support from Tehran. In the case of the Houthis, the connection with the Islamic Republic is based largely on their shared concerns about Saudi Arabia.

Referring to Washington’s announcement of a maritime security mission to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani implicitly approved of Houthi military actions: “If the US makes such an irrational move, they will be faced with extraordinary problems. Nobody can make a move in a region where we have predominance.”

In recent weeks there have been a number of military clashes between the Houthis and US-led forces. For example, US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported shooting down numerous drone attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, directed from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi has personally warned the US government, announcing on public television that “any American targeting of our country will be targeted by us, and we will make American battleships, interests, and navigation a target for our missiles, drones, and military operations.”

Houthi spokesperson Salah added, “In the speech of the Leader, there is more advice and warning than a threat. Whoever seeks to expand the conflict must bear the consequences of his actions. The American-formed coalition is to protect Israel and militarize the sea without any justification.”

Houthi responses to the intensified conflict in Gaza have not been well received by everyone in Yemen, as other political parties have indicated disagreement with direct military involvement in the Red Sea and the Israel-Palestine issue.

The Southern Transitional Council, a political party with rival objectives within Yemen, stated in a recent press release that it “strongly condemns these acts of terrorist piracy. It emphasizes its unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety of international navigation and safeguarding the vital international trade routes in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.”

Behind the council’s disapproval of Houthi actions may lie its own vendetta against the rebels; they are among parties which have been fighting for leadership within Yemen during the long civil war.

Yemen’s internationally-recognized government, another fierce rival to the Houthi movement, has adopted a more nuanced public stance. In a recent press statement, Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed stressed “Yemen’s firm position towards the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.”

All of Yemen’s major political parties agree that they are on the side of the Palestinians against Israel, but only the Houthis are willing to translate this political and moral support into military action. It remains a matter of dispute among analysts the degree to which Tehran is actually calling the shots, but there’s little doubt that the Houthis are, at minimum, rendered more confident and capable due to the Islamic Republic’s backing.

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