Diplomacy

Russia's hosting of Houthi officials seen as an endorsement of Red Sea attacks

The Kremlin has a history of opening its doors to militant and terrorist groups when they serve its propaganda purposes against adversaries.

Houthi delegation member Mohammed Abdelsalam visited Moscow on January 25. [Saba]
Houthi delegation member Mohammed Abdelsalam visited Moscow on January 25. [Saba]

By Al-Fassel |

Russia's recent hosting of a Houthi delegation is seen as a tacit endorsement of the Iran-backed group's ongoing attacks on commercial vessels in the international shipping lanes of the Red Sea, observers say.

Russia's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Bogdanov on Thursday (January 25) received a Houthi delegation to discuss tensions in the Red Sea, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The meeting and ensuing statement did not criticize or implicate the Houthis for their acts of aggression, but instead tried to lay blame on the United States and United Kingdom, which have taken several joint actions against the group.

Since mid-November, the Houthis have attempted to attack and harass more than 30 ships in international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov (center) hosts a meeting with Hamas representative Moussa Abu Marzouk (right) in Moscow on October 26. [File]
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov (center) hosts a meeting with Hamas representative Moussa Abu Marzouk (right) in Moscow on October 26. [File]

Several rounds of joint US-UK strikes and sanctions have sought to protect international shipping in the Red Sea by hitting the Houthis' weapon infrastructure and censuring the group's military leaders.

These "limited and proportionate" actions came in response to the Houthis' repeated attacks on vessels linked to 55 countries, and were defensive in nature, the United States and United Kingdom have said.

But in a statement released after the meeting with Houthi officials, Russia made it clear it was taking the side of the aggressors, its Iran-linked allies.

"The US and UK missile and bomb strikes on Yemen, which could destabilize the situation on a regional scale, were strongly condemned," Russia's Foreign Ministry said.

Russia's ally Iran, which backs and funds the Houthis, also has thrown its full support behind its proxies in Yemen, with Iranian leader Ali Khamenei lauding the group's "endeavors" in a January 16 speech.

The Houthis "have truly done a great job," Khamenei said in his speech, expressing hope that their attacks on ships in the Red Sea continue "until victory."

In addition to arming the Houthis, Iran has been supplying drones and drone technology to Russia, which the Kremlin has been using in its attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

'The legitimating effect of recognition'

The Moscow meeting comes less than a week after the Houthis announced they are giving special dispensation to the vessels of Russia and China, after repeatedly attacking merchant ships linked to other countries in the Red Sea.

In an interview published by Russia's Izvestia on January 19, a senior Houthi official promised safe passage for Russian and Chinese vessels through the Red Sea.

The Houthis previously said they would continue to attack ships linked to the United States and United Kingdom, which have targeted military sites the group has used in Yemen for its attacks.

"As for all other countries, including Russia and China, their shipping in the region is not threatened," senior Houthi official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti said.

For many years, Moscow has opened its doors to various militant and terrorist groups for high-profile visits.

Two months ago, Russia welcomed the Houthis' ally Hamas, whose officials paid several visits to Moscow.

Russia and Iran are longtime supporters of Hamas, which many countries have designated a "terrorist organization."

By steadily supporting the militant group since 2006, "Russia provides Hamas with what terrorists most covet: the legitimating effect of recognition," according to the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Observers say Russia is now doing the same with the Houthis.

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Yemen

First of all, the Palestinian resistance is not waiting for anything to give it legitimacy because it is in fact a legitimate resistance that represents the Palestinian people and the people of Gaza, and likewise, the Houthis represent the Yemeni people. If Iran supports Hamas and the Houthis, then kudos to Iran because it is supporting what's right and defending the Palestinian people and Islamic standards. The ones who represent terrorism is America, England, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, Canada and other colonial countries that occupy Arab and Islamic countries to exploit their natural resources and keep the Arab and Islamic peoples in a permanent state of poverty. Then the issue is simple: the Houthis have demandd that the genocide in Gaza be stopped and humanitarian and medical aid be delivered, and they would suspend operations in the Red Sea, but America, the terrorist state, and the senile John Biden refused and used the right of veto several times, saying that the time to stop the fighting is in the hands of the stinking, blood-thirsty Prime Minister of the Zionist entity. So who is the terrorist and who is the criminal? Greetings, pride and appreciation to the people of Yemen and to the people of Palestine who are steadfast in the face of the criminals committing genocide against the people of Gaza, and we have nothing but prayers for them. May God give you strength. May God protect you and strngthen you. May God grant you victory. May the earth shake under the

This article is a vision and a point of view that must be respected, but if the article portrays Hamas as terrorists, then it is a Jewish-Zionist. Rather, everyone knows that Hamas are the owners of an usurped land and that the United States has been evading peace for more than 50 years, linking its interests with egarding the Arabs with obedience to the orders of the Entity until the Arabs ended up begging for food and medicine from the Entity!
And anyone who helps and supports the Palestinians in their legitimate, usurped right is now called a terrorist.
I, [and] all honorable people around the world, appreciate the position of Hamas, all the Palestinian factions, the great state of Yemen, Hizbullah and Iran, despite my reservations about their Shiite doctrine, and all appreciation and respect to Russia and to President Putin.

M. Ahmed, an Egyptian citizen

Rotten.