Attacks on Yemen: “Attacks strengthen the Houthis enormously”

Yemen expert Jens Heibach doubts that the attacks by the USA and Great Britain will weaken the Houthis. Similar measures would have had little effect before. Rather, this strengthens the reputation of the Houthis in the Islamic world.

tagesschau24: We are seeing a new development – in response to the Houthi rebels’ attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea, the US military and allied forces have now carried out military strikes. Could this escalate the overall situation?

Jens Heibach: Certainly – in many ways. First of all, it is important to mention that the port of Hudaydah was also hit. And this has concrete consequences, especially for the population, because 70 percent of imports and 80 percent of humanitarian aid for the population in Yemen, which has been living in a humanitarian catastrophe for several years, come through this port. In this respect, this has very concrete consequences.

“I don’t see any weakening”

tagesschau24: The Houthis control the capital and large parts of Yemen. Could US and UK attacks weaken the Houthis’ position in Yemen?

Heibach: I don’t see that. As you know, Yemen has been in a war for years, led primarily by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates with enormous logistical support from the USA, and also through the massive air strikes and blockades at sea and on land have not been able to deal with the Houthis in recent years. That’s why I don’t see how the current means can be used to stop the Houthis.

“War in Yemen and Gaza Strip linked”

tagesschau24: The rebels say they want to continue attacking ships in the Red Sea. How could escalation be avoided?

Heibach: The Houthis themselves say that the attacks on ships in the Red Sea are a reaction to the Gaza war. And the easiest or most obvious way to prevent these attacks would be to reach a ceasefire in Gaza. Because these two conflicts are now directly linked. It will be extremely difficult to stop the Houthis militarily. It doesn’t work that way. In this respect, the course is currently set for further escalation.

“Enormous gain in prestige for the Houthis”

tagesschau24: The Houthis are primarily against the West and Israel, are co-financed by Iran and support the terrorist organization Hamas. What exactly do they want to achieve? What is your destination?

Heibach: Domestically, these attacks strengthen the Houthis enormously compared to their opponents. Above all, it means an enormous gain in prestige for the Houthis in the Arab and wider Islamic world. The attacks thus torpedo the normalization efforts of Arab states, especially Saudi Arabia and the Emirates. This is certainly a first goal of the Houthis.

And in a sense, the Houthis as an organization emerged against the backdrop of the second intifada and as such have also set themselves the goal of destroying the state of Israel. In this respect, another goal is certainly to continue taking action against Israel and supporting the Palestinians.

The interview was conducted by Damla Hekimoglu, tagesschau24