Monitor ISSUE 32
Houthis escalate rhetoric on social media Yemen’s Houthis are using social media to promote their message to the world. Middle East specialist Florence Dixon looks at how their social media output has evolved since 7 October.
The Houthis’ media arm is shaping the group’s message to the world as it continues to cause high-impact disruption in the Red Sea. A video campaign propagated via social media has moved from expressing solidarity with Palestinians to portraying the Houthis as the only regional force taking action against Israel. In turn, it is positioning the group as a key actor as the conflict in the Red Sea expands to new frontiers, taking on the USA and its allies.
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A Houthi video entitled “The guardian of the Red Sea”
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All three channels have gained subscribers since the escalation in the Red Sea MONITORING.BBC.CO.UK
PHOTO BY -/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Banned on Meta platforms such as Facebook, the rebels primarily use X (formerly Twitter) and Telegram to carry out their online campaign, much of which consists of daily, short, promotional-style videos.