On the Record with Hamas

The past nine months of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza have spurred an unprecedented global awakening to the plight of the Palestinian people. At no point in the 76 years since the formation of the state of Israel and the unleashing of the Nakba has there been such sustained and open anger at Israel and such widespread solidarity with the Palestinians. The massive demonstrations in cities across the globe, the severing of diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv, the recalling of ambassadors, rulings from world courts against Israel, and mounting demands for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state—none of this would have taken place without the impetus of Hamas’s armed insurrection on October 7 and Israel’s subsequent war of annihilation in Gaza. 

On the Record with Hamas

Ansar Allah didn’t target undersea cables

Full video.

At least one subsea fiber cable damaged in the Red Sea, some reports blame Houthi rebels

Last year Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) – a think tank founded by a former Israeli Intelligence officer and a political scientist described as a neoconservative and revisionist Zionist on Wikipedia – said Telegram channels reportedly affiliated with the Houthis had made implied threats against subseas cables in the Red Sea.

New reports suggest a ship attacked by Houthi rebels may have inadvertently cut cables. Some industry observers are suggesting the Rubymar, a cargo ship heavily damaged by a recent Houthi attack, is drifting and its dragging anchor could have caused damage to the cables.

Ansar Allah’s response

Israeli media claims that Ansar Allah targeted undersea cables

Propaganda: Houthis could cut undersea global internet cables, minister warns

5/11/23 Joziah Thayer on AQAP’s Standing in Yemen

Joziah Thayer joins to show to discuss some of the work he’s done digging into the many factions and groups within Yemen and the foreign powers working to pull their strings. Scott and Thayer drill in on Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, and explore how the group’s standing in Yemen has changed and how the country is likely to evolve going forward.

Discussed on the show:

The CIA, AQAP, and the Never-Ending Excuse to Bomb Yemen

How the IMF & World Bank Destroyed Yemen

5/11/23 Joziah Thayer on AQAP’s Standing in Yemen

Biden Says He’s Ending the Yemen War—But It’s Too Soon to Celebrate

Biden Says He’s Ending the Yemen War—But It’s Too Soon to Celebrate

Unfortunately, qualifiers like “offensive” and “relevant” do not signal a clear commitment to ending all forms of support for the U.S. war in Yemen, which includes targeting assistance, weapons sales (the U.S. is the largest supplier of arms to Saudi Arabia), logistics, training, and intelligence sharing with the Saudi-led coalition. Labeling Yemen’s Houthis as “Iranian supplied forces,” and making a commitment to defending Saudi Arabia’s “sovereignty,” echoes President Obama’s initial pretense for entering the war on Yemen in 2015. The White House statement that signaled Obama’s illegal entry declared, “In response to the deteriorating security situation, Saudi Arabia, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members, and others will undertake military action to defend Saudi Arabia’s border and to protect Yemen’s legitimate government.” In other words, from the outset, this onslaught was framed by the U.S. as defensive.

Related:

Biden to End US Support for Saudi Offensive Operations in Yemen

Biden to End US Support for Saudi Offensive Operations in Yemen

Biden to End US Support for Saudi Offensive Operations in Yemen

While announcing Biden’s plan, Sullivan said it would not include US operations against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). “It does not extend to actions against AQAP,” he said. “It extends to the types of offensive operations that have perpetuated a civil war in Yemen that has led to a humanitarian crisis.”

Framing the move as an end to support for “offensive” operations could give the US some wiggle room to continue some support for the Saudi-led coalition. And since the coalition is more capable now than it was in 2015, when the Obama administration first backed the Saudis in Yemen, operations could still continue.