The Houthis have sought to use a unique weapon in their war against Saudi Arabia - and it's not a new missile or a drone.
The Rebel group, which now controls Yemen, is using American sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein's name to defame the Saudis, The New York Times reported.
Over the past few weeks, they have zeroed in on a particular set of documents linked to Epstein released by the US Department of Justice in tranches. These specifically include reports revealing that Saudi royal court associates had sent tapestries to the sex offender with drapings of the Kaaba - the holiest site in Islam.
The group's communications campaign uses various forms of media to distribute its propaganda, including statements, videos, songs, speeches and even influencer posts. They are meant to target enemies like Saudi Arabia, which backs the internationally recognised Yemeni government that the Houthis are engaged in a civil war with.
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Mecca At Centre
The communication campaigns, which have gained more traction after the reignition of the war this summer, portray the Houthis as defenders of Islam against foreign influence.
Last month, Saudi Arabia had accused the Houthis of targeting Mecca with drones and missiles, a charge that the rebel group has categorically denied. Mecca, the home to Islam's spiritual centre Kaaba, is the holiest city in Islam.
"Those who gave Epstein the Kaba's cover are the ones targeting Mecca," Mahdi al-Mashat, the Houthi president, was quoted as saying by the NYT in the group's official news media.
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Saudi officials have not reacted to the Houthi accusations or the reports about the tapestries after the US Justice Department released the files earlier this year.
Al-Mashat's message was echoed in various forms across Houthi platforms. A Yemeni comedian named Mustafa Al-Momari, who has over 27 lakh followers on X, made a video about it. A traditional musician in Yemen also wrote a song about the claim, the NYT reported.
Influencers At Forefront
Yemeni comedian Mustafa Al-Moumr, who has changed his stance regarding the Houthis and Saudis after he was freed from jail in 2023, has criticised Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Epstein, a secular American Jew who officials said had died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019, often features in speeches by Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.
"Epstein's files demand serious attention. They unveil a Zionist incubator that trains leaders and elites," he had said during a February address.
The strategy by the Houthis seems to be working. In at least one instance, the NYT reported, popular right-wing podcaster Jake Shields, who posts about the Epstein files regularly, has admired the Houthis' resilience.
"I'm a big fan," he said, referring to the Houthis. "I think they're kind of badass."