Barran Press
The Israeli airstrikes on the port city of Hudaydah in western Yemen on Saturday, July 20, 2024, have triggered widespread condemnation from Yemeni politicians, activists, journalists, and researchers on social media.
The strikes, which the Houthis claimed targeted oil storage facilities in the port, resulted in casualties. Israel, however, claimed responsibility for the attacks, stating that they were a response to months of Houthi attacks.
"Barran Press" has monitored the reactions of Yemenis, who have overwhelmingly denounced the strikes as "blatant aggression" and accused the Houthis of being responsible for inviting the attacks.
"A Blatant Aggression"
Abdulmalik al-Mekhlafi, advisor to the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council and deputy head of the Consultation and Reconciliation Authority, condemned the airstrikes as "a blatant, condemnable, and criminal aggression."
In a post on X, al-Mekhlafi stated that the "Zionist aggression against Hudaydah in our country, Yemen, and the targeting of civilian facilities, exposes the nature of this enemy who is carrying out genocide in Gaza and refuses to comply with international law."
He added that the Israeli occupation "has no qualms about igniting more wars in the region as long as it has the backing of the US administration."
Yemeni lawyer and human rights activist, Abdulrahman Barman, described the Israeli strikes on Hudaydah as "a cowardly criminal act committed by the Zionist entity."
Barman, in a post on X, stated that the strikes targeted "civilian facilities and infrastructure in Hudaydah governorate," calling them a violation of international laws and norms.
Call for an Emergency Meeting
Barman urged the Yemeni government to "immediately request an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the Israeli aggression against Yemen, which targeted protected civilian objects, according to international laws and norms in Hudaydah governorate."
Sef al-Mathna, executive director of the Washington Center for Human Rights, stated that "the ball is in the court of the Yemeni legitimacy to call for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss this Zionist aggression on sovereign Yemeni territory!"
In another tweet, al-Mathna stated that the attack "was greenlit by Washington, and according to a military source, a wide list of Houthi targets is being prepared, including 'specific terrorists.'"
Double Standards and Hypocrisy
Mohammed Jamiah, a writer and political analyst, highlighted this hypocrisy in a post on X, stating that in 2018, the British and Americans pressured a halt to the battle for Hudaydah against the Houthis, citing concerns about the port's potential destruction.
"They then promoted the narrative of the worst humanitarian crisis in the world," Jamiah wrote. "Today, Israel destroys civilian targets in the port in a blatant aggression against Yemen, which has not affected the Houthis. Yet, the delicate humanitarians have coordinated the attack and swallowed their tongues."
Ahmed al-Yafrsi, editor-in-chief of the Yemeni Al-Manbar magazine, echoed this sentiment, recalling how the Houthis sought the help of the US and UK in 2019 to prevent the liberation of Hudaydah.
"Britain acted with full force and determination to prevent the liberation of Hudaydah port," al-Yafrsi wrote on X. "They raised the slogan that the port is a humanitarian need and that the army must withdraw."
He added that the US and the West forced the Yemeni government to sign the Stockholm Agreement, only to now bomb the same port's fuel depots. "The Houthis have not been harmed, but have benefited," he concluded.
Yemeni journalist Mohammed al-Mekhlafi also pointed out the double standards, stating that the UK and US prevented the liberation of Hudaydah under the guise of humanitarian concerns, claiming that the port was vital for food supplies to the Yemeni people.
"The goal of liberating it was to free Yemenis from the Houthi scourge forever," al-Mekhlafi wrote on X. "When they sent their drone to their pampered child, they bombed the port to its core." He concluded by saying that "Western principles are collapsing before our eyes."
A Single Question
Yemeni activist Fatima al-Sayyagi posed a critical question in response to the events: "Why is the world, from its farthest corners to its closest, allowing Israel to respond to the Houthis inside Hudaydah city in Yemen today, but did not allow Yemenis to liberate the city in their own land, and return it to the state when they were on the verge of defeating them?"
She continued, "Why does the UN fight Yemenis for the sake of the Houthis in every decision against them, and then, in plain sight of the international and regional community, Israel bombs Yemeni territory in response to the Houthis, making them the hero of the nation, and the narrative of Yemenis, their tragedies, and the truth of their just battle against the Houthis go to the wind?"
She concluded by stating that "those who set international policy are a group of failures, double-standards who care neither for international humanitarian law, nor for human rights, nor for the sovereignty of states and their right to stability!"
A Symbolic Response
Journalist and researcher Adnan al-Jabarni suggested that the Israeli military's goal in bombing Hudaydah was "image" rather than harming the Houthis.
"Therefore, they chose to target oil tanks as a target that provides a picture of a massive fire, which would restore the deterrence mentality among their domestic audience," al-Jabrani wrote on X.
He added that "the Houthis have gotten what they want with a symbolic response, and Israel has temporarily gotten an image."
In another post, al-Jabarni stated that "if the Houthis were to choose locations for their enemies to bomb under the pretext of retaliation, they would not choose anything other than these targets, al-Dilaimi and Atan, which have been bombed for years, with no result other than the Houthis using them as fuel, mobilization, and recruitment, while their military infrastructure and leadership are not targets!"
Ahmed al-Yafrsi echoed this sentiment, stating that "the port of Hudaydah, belonging to the Yemeni people, is being bombed... and the US and the West are preventing any military movement by the Yemeni army against the Houthis with all their force and determination."
He added on X that "the rules of engagement benefit the Houthis and do not harm them... but they harm the people and harm the legitimacy. This is America and this is its hostility towards the Houthis... striking the interests of the Yemeni people and protecting the Houthis from any serious movement by the army."
A Play to Empower the Houthis
Yemeni journalist and human rights activist, Essam Balgheeth, argued that the strikes were meant to empower the Houthis, granting them a legitimacy they haven't earned from the Yemeni people. He denounced the strikes as a violation of Yemen's sovereignty and destruction of the people's resources.
Iranian Interests at Play
Faisal Al-Majidi, the Deputy Minister of Justice, condemned both Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi, accusing them of prioritizing their own agendas over the well-being of the Yemeni people. He argued that the Houthis prioritize Iranian interests while ignoring the plight of Yemenis.
A Wider Strategic Agenda
Writer and journalist Hussein Al-Wadaei pointed out that the strikes were not solely focused on Gaza, but rather part of a larger strategic agenda by Iran in the Red Sea and the Arab region. He argued that the Houthis and Hezbollah are mere pawns in this game and that the real target is the Arab world.
Internal Conflict Fuels External Aggression
Al-Wadaei also emphasized that the internal conflict in Yemen has invited external aggression, turning the country into a battleground for regional and international powers. He called for a focus on addressing the internal conflict as the primary threat.
Houthi Responsibility
Journalist and human rights activist Ahmed Al-Sabbahi accused the Houthis of exploiting the situation to garner public sympathy and further their own agenda. He held the Houthis responsible for the deaths of Yemeni civilians and the escalation of the conflict.
The Israeli strikes on Hodeidah port have exposed the complex dynamics of the Yemeni conflict and the role of external actors in fueling the violence. The condemnation from within Yemen highlights the deep-seated resentment towards the Houthis and their perceived manipulation of the situation for their own gain.