Exclusive: Are Houthi Threats Against Israel Symbolic Or Regionally Significant?

The United States announced heavy strikes against the Yemen-based Houthi militant group last week. US has continued its attacks on Yemen causing injuries to people and extensive damage. The US reaction came in response to the Houthi’s warning to block and attack Israel-based ships passing through the Red Sea.

Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza, the Houthis have been attacking Israel-linked ships and launching direct missile and drone attacks on Israel to pressure it to end its war against Palestine.

To under the role of Houthis in the current conflict and its geopolitical repercussions, Timeline talked to an expert on West Asia, Prof. Mohammad Sohrab, faculty at Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi.

Read also: Sudan’s Army Take Control Of Presidential Palace From RSF Militias.

Timeline: Who are Houthi and what are their interests in the ongoing geopolitical situation in Gaza?

Prof Sohrab: It is a militia group and is generally traced to the political developments that took place in the early 90s. The early 90s was a very critical period because Yemen was divided into south and North Yemen. The end of the Cold War led to the disintegration of many states and the emergence of many ethnic states or ethnic states, but Yaman is a unique case in the sense that the two Yamans united. The two Yamans united into a single Yemeni state, a sovereign Yemeni state.

But the society underwent a different kind of fragmentation as shia of Yemen who belongs to Zyadi sect. Zyadi sect, is one of the sects within Shia communities, who are considered Sunnis among Shias. Zaid are considered the Sunnis because of their theological proximity with the Sunni theology.

They are never considered as something rebellious against the Suni. Sunni theology and Sunni interpretations of Islam.

Houthis, majority of them or overwhelming of them belong to this Zaydi sect, but their cause is not to create a false democratic state as being propagated by the Western countries. They are objected is to create a true democratic republic with the democratic representative kind of the region and the state. They stand for this.

But because of Western manipulation, they are always being branded as a political force who are essentially against Sunnis, who are essentially against Sunni Arabs and stand for the conditions of a state in the rim of this sect, which is wrong.

In Yemen, there are certain tribal confrontations who basically the rule the orders. who rules over the political and social systems. But share the vision of the reconstructions of a new social order.

After 9/11, these forces started being seen through the exclusive prism of anti-Sunni and a proxy of Iran. All these things are artificially constructed or propaganda-based constructions against these militia groups, by the rest on condition.

Because Houthis stand for the independence of Yemen and the construction of Yemen which is free from the Western Domination. They have a vision for the entire region. The vision is that they must be free from any kind and every kind of Western symbols.

Mostly all the states of the regions are allies of different Western countries. So Hothis are being taken as a threat to the existing political system of the region. And this helps very much in constructing their identity.

Right now, they are considered as the proxies of Iran working on behalf of Iran to disintegrate Yemen as the Houthis do not recognize the government in Yemen. In fact, in Yaman for many years, there was no government at all.

Houthis are against Israel as they extend their moral support to the Palestinianarch and they seek to create a kind of blockade just in the same way Israel did for Palestinian communities and has denied every kind of access by the so-called external powers of the external access.

So just to give a kind of warnings or the signals to the government that Paledestinians are not alone, since the Yemen is sitting on a very strategic choke points, connecting South Asia, Asia, Africa, and Mediterraninas through the Red Seas. These roads are important not only for the regions, but for theariards, and they are sitting over that So they are usinging that a strategic locations as a leverage.

Their objective is to enter into negotiations with those forces, political forces who are directly under the influence and control of America. They are using the policy of strategic location as political leverage and doing some kind of symbolic attacks on Israel. They are not in a position and, unfortunately, there is not a single Arab world, which is in a position to fight Israel, individually. And they are not united.

Read also: Hamas Or Netanyahu: Who Is Responsible For The Resumption Of War?

Timeline: Why the US is attacking Houthis and What is the US interest in protecting Israel in West Asia?

Prof Sohrab: US interest in protecting rights in West Asia derives from many kinds of conditions. First, Israel is the checkpoint and extension of British American imperialism. Israel is not just a political project. Western countries want to have a kind of religious and cultural domination over the regions of West Asia.

The Israeli narrative to legitimize their presence in Palestine is almost exclusively based on the religious narratives, which is the most distorted but that distortion is deliberate to serve the political project. And what is the cost is the creation of, the establishment of a Greater Israel and Israeli hegemony over the region? Again, Israel’s hegemony over the regions is premise on the idea of having total control over the regions by the powers led by Western powers. So keeping this political objective, they support Israel.

Timeline: Is there any risk of this conflict turning into a full-scale regional war as the US is also accusing Iran of its role in Houthi attacks on Israeli ships?

Prof Sohrab: American attacks on Yoman don’t have any chance to escalate the kind of regional war and bring any kind of escalations. It thought it would result in the creation of devastation, including infrastructure, and cost human lives. But it doesn’t have, I mean, there is no likelihood of the cany kind of new escalation. Another thing is that the American attack on Houthis or Yemen is a kind of signal to Iran that America might attack Iran also. So it is a kind of warning.

But the American attack all these attacks on Iran do have potential and huge potential for the production of new military action at the larger regional levels. Iran itself is a sovereign and powerful state. Which has expressed time and again to defend its sovereignty. Unlike, the Houthis. The second thing is that Iran is backed by international powers and regional powers, of no country is ready to give signals to any for such to attack on Iran.

And a third thing is that it’s is if any attack on Iran by Israeli, brings Americas into that conflict, it will definitely enquire the entire regions. So therefore, and the entire regions will come into the conflict, so therefore America will always try to avoid this kind of destruction. Because it will geopardize each position.

Timeline: Is there any role played by Iran in the threats by Houthis to Israel?

Prof Sohrab: Iranians have expressed their moral support, and political support to the Houthis because they are fighting for the sovereignty of their state and independence of their regions. They are fighting for self-determination. They are fighting for freedom. But so far there is no hard evidence of supplying weapons by Iran to Houthis. The question is from where Houthis are getting weapons. So they are, of course, they’re getting weapons from the international black markets. They have the Western mafias themselves selling the weapons to the Houthis.

Timeline: What about Arab countries, how are they seeing the ongoing US attacks?

Prof Sohrab: They basically in a very kind of dilemma. Supporters of Israel are also the chief provider of the security framework to the entire regions. so the entire region is basically, especially the government is living under the security umbrella provided by the America, which happens to be the chief security provider. So this has been a very complex kind of dilemma for the Arabs.

The second thing is that the Houthis stand for popular government. Right to self-determination by the peoples and all the Arabic states are authoritarian estates of different sorts. So definitely that is the threat to the regimes, not to the people. And because of these either they keep them silent over or side with the Americas and Israeles also. Now you see how Israelis are violating, the sovereignty and the space of all Arab countries and are attacking Yemen, which is not possible. So the kind of support extended to Israel against the Houthis and Palestinians is against the emergence of a popular franchise based on the popular mandate of the people. Because that will finally emerge as a model of democracy.

Timeline: It is also said that these attacks is violating the international codes and laws made to protect the sea routes?

Prof Sohrab: The question is who is not violating international law? That is the bigger question. International law doesn’t have any kind of ethical moral sanctity and foundations. International laws are being interpreted and applied selectively. If they suit Western interests they are applied and if it doesn’t suit them, they’re not applied at all. Another thing is that we must not forget that Houthi is a militia group. It is not a legitimate actor. So therefore, whether they are doing right or wrong that is that he is that a different thing, but there are always being seen through the lens of illegitimacy.

Timeline: Where is the involvement of China in the present context? How do you see it?

Prof Sohrab: Because so far China doesn’t have any policy of military advantage in any part of the world, unlike America. China doesn’t have military bases. And if it has one or two places, it is highly symbolic. It is just for the safety of the sipping lands. It is not a filled military base. So there is no chance of challenging the American military programs by the major powers of the outside. But of course, they will come under challenge and threat by the regional destabilizations, by the regionals and non-state actors.