A Houthi follower, who has been sharing social-media posts amid attacks on international cargo ships off the coast of Yemen, has gone viral for being “hot.”
President Joe Biden ordered multiple airstrikes against Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, following what he described as an “extensive diplomatic campaign” to stop the attacks on shipping vessels passing through the Red Sea.
The U.S. military carried out the first round of strikes on Thursday with the U.K. and had support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands. On Friday, the U.S. launched an additional strike against the Houthis.
In a statement, Biden said the Houthis had “endanger[ed] freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways” and that strikes were “a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel.”
Tensions were heightened on Monday, when a missile struck a U.S.-owned ship just off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden, according to officials. The strike came less than a day after Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired an anti-ship cruise missile toward an American destroyer in the Red Sea.
Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images
As the strikes raise fears of an impending war, a number of social-media users have expressed their amorous admiration for a Yemeni man, who has been sharing video footage of himself on the Red Sea on TikTok and Instagram.
Using the accounts @rro1o on TikTok and @r42r43 on Instagram, the man has been documenting his time at sea on the platforms. In a January 7 Instagram post, he suggested that he was a part of the Yemeni Armed Forces.
One TikTok clip shared on Monday showed the man aboard a sea vessel as he displayed the Yemeni flag. The video, which has been viewed more than 29,600 times, has sparked a number of unexpected comments.
“God you’re beautiful,” wrote on TikTok user, while another posted: “Hey if [you’re] ever in America hmu [hit me up].”
Another clip, shared on Instagram on Monday, showed the man on the ship, alongside the Arabic caption: “The ship is ours now, do not look for it anymore.”
On Monday, the Houthi follower’s videos were shared on X, formerly Twitter, where his “casual” influencer-style uploads were remarked upon.
“Yemeni pirates positing casual TikTok’s while the entire Western imperial core are having a meltdown about their blockade on their ships is the funniest s*** of 2024, surely,” wrote the X user who shared the video clips.
As with other platforms, the post, which as of press time has garnered more than 8.5 million views, drew a flood of comments about the Yemeni man’s good looks, with some X users comparing him to actor Timothée Chalamet.
“Posting thirst traps while blockading empires is wild,” commented another.
“He can hijack me,” wrote one X user, while another asked: “Does his boat have room for one more….?”
“I know this is serious business but Yemeni Abercrombie model there,” another wrote on X, adding a GIF of The Office character Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) holding up a homemade placard that read “Hot.”
Acknowledging how much social media has changed the landscape, another commented: “I’m starting to realize that even people like pirates have social media nowadays and get to do stuff like this… the next generation of Gen Z pirates and soldiers is gonna be [bizarre].”
Sharing a GIF from Destiny’s Child’s 2004 music video for their hit track “Soldier,” one X user repurposed the lyrics from “If his status ain’t hood,” to “If your status ain’t Houthi.”
One X user commented that the conflict holds the danger of pushing the American public toward supporting Yemenis.
“U.S. vastly underestimated their enemies,” they wrote. “The longer this conflict goes on the more exposure the American people are getting to Yemenis. And we love them. You’re not going to convince many normal people that these people are our enemies.”
Amid the flood of gushing messages, one person refuted the idea that the man in question is involved in any form of combat at all.
“He’s not a pirate,” they said. “Just a regular guy visiting possibly the biggest public attraction Yemen currently has to offer.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) acknowledged Monday’s strike against an American ship, blaming the Houthis for the assault.
CENTCOM posted on X: “On Jan. 15 at approximately 4 p.m. (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and struck the M/V Gibraltar Eagle, a Marshall Islands-flagged, U.S.-owned and operated container ship. The ship has reported no injuries or significant damage and is continuing its journey.”
The post added: “Earlier in the day, at approximately 2 p.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Forces detected an anti-ship ballistic missile fired toward the Southern Red Sea commercial shipping lanes. The missile failed in flight and impacted on land in Yemen. There were no injuries or damage reported.”
A Houthi military spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree took responsibility for the attack in a recorded television address that aired Monday night, according to the Associated Press.
“The Yemeni armed forces consider all American and British ships and warships participating in the aggression against our country as hostile targets,” Saree said.
On Monday, the U.S. Maritime Administration, which falls under the Transportation Department, said there continues to be “a high degree of risk to commercial vessels” traveling near Yemen.
“While the decision to transit remains at the discretion of individual vessels and companies, it is recommended that U.S. flag and U.S.-owned commercial vessels” stay away from Yemen in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden until further notice, the alert added.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.