DISINFO: The Houthis only attacked ships from Israel or heading to Israeli harbours
SUMMARY
The US and UK decided that their national security was in danger and started attacking Yemen. In reality, the “freedom of navigation in one of the most vital rights of maritime ships in the world” that they invoked was never at risk, as the Houthis had announced they would only attack only ships with Israeli flags or heading to Israeli harbours.
RESPONSE
Disinformation about recent events in the Red Sea, as Iranian-backed Houthi fighters have targeted commercial shipping with drone and missile attacks, as well as assaults by boat and helicopter.
Data shows that Yemen’s Houthis have attacked ships connected to more than a dozen countries, many of which were not travelling to or from Israeli ports. The attacks immediately had a strong impact on the global economy, leading to a huge rise in insurance for shipments and skyrocketing the price of containers, as most ships are now forced to make a long detour through southern Africa coasts.
The false allegation and disinformation story seeks to portray these attacks as completely unjustified, thereby advancing a recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about Western imperialism.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that NATO finally found a rival of its size in the Houthis of Yemen, that the US and EU do not want peace in Middle East, that events in Israel and Ukraine are no accident as the US tried to create areas of instability, or that the United States is behind events in Gaza and Ukraine.