Houthis, the Iran-backed Yemen rebels have expanded their campaign against Saudi Arabia by exploiting a controversial story involving Jeffrey Epstein, the late American sex offender.
The revelations, drawn from the files released by the US department of justice, have become a tool for the Houthis to attack the Saudi leadership and question its religious credibility, the New York Times reported. The group has seized on reports that individuals associated with the Saudi royal court sent tapestries that had once covered Islam’s holiest site to Epstein’s private Island.
The Houthis mobilised their extensive media network to portray the reported transfer of sacred Islamic textiles to Jeffrey Epstein as a betrayal of religious values by Saudi Arabia. Through social media posts, videos, songs, speeches and content circulated by online influences, the Houthis closely monitor developments involving their regional adversaries and reshape new stories to serve their own political objectives, the NYT report added. The kingdom supports Yemen’s International recognised government, which remains locked in conflict with the Houthis. These communication efforts have taken on greater significance as Yemen’s conflict intensified again this summer amid the US Israel war with Iran. Against this backdrop, the Houthis have increased their propaganda activity alongside their military campaign, which has included missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi Arabia, the report added. Mecca was placed on alert last month as Saudi authorities accused Houthis of strikes at the Muslim holy city. The rebel group, however, denied the accusation. The allegations concerned tapestries set to have once adorned the Kaba, the cube-shaped structure in Mecca that holds the central place in Islamic worship. Following the release of new justice department files, Saudi Arabia has yet to issue a public response to Houthi accusations about Epstein or to the reports concerning the tapestries.
Their messaging frequently presents them as defenders of Islam confronting corruption and outside interference, while portraying Saudi Arabia as an opponent of those values, the report said. “Those who gave Epstein the Kaba’s cover are the ones targeting Mecca,” Mahdi al-Mashat, the Houthi president told the group’s official news media, reported NYT.
