FACT CHECK: Has Yemen declared war on Israel?

CLAIM: Yemen has declared war on Isreal, in support of Palestine.

VERDICT: Misleading!

FULL TEXT

A massive bombing of Gaza, a territory occupied by the stateless people of Palestine, by Israel has lasted over a month. The bombing is in retaliation for an attack on Israeli soil by Hamas, an Islamic militant roup operating in the Gaza Strip and some parts of the West Bank.

After the attack by Hamas on October 7 with the death toll rising to about 1,300 in Israel, the air strikes and missiles fired into Gaza by Israel has killed over 9,000 people, mostly civilians.

Although the Palestinian authorities have countless times disassociated itself from Hamas, Israel is unyielding in its siege on Gaza. It continues to fire missiles into Gaza.

Many countries have expressed concerns over Israel’s attack on Palestinians with some explicitly calling out the Israeli government. However, there are a few like the United States who support Israel and justify its actions as self defense.

READ ALSO:FACT CHECK: How true is the report that President Tinubu shunned Dangote?

An X user recently claimed that Yemen, a country in the Southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, has joined the war to defend Palestine.

VERIFICATION

Ripples Nigeria found this claim to be misleading, as it is not the Republic of Yemen that joined the war in support of Palestine but Houthi, a militant group in Yemen.

Meanwhile, the X user may have made the claim out of ignorance and not to deliberately mislead, because Houthi claims to be the legitimate ruler of Yemen but it is not the internationally recognized authority in the country.

The control of Yemen is currently divided among three groups – the internationally recognized government, the Houthi rebels, allegedly supported and armed by Iran; and the Separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), supported by the United Arab Emirates.

Houthi launched a war for the control of Yemen in 2014, seizing the capital of the country, Sanaa and neighboring Amran provinces the same year. Albeit in control of the capital, the Houthis only control about 25 percent of Yemen’s total land mass and some resources , mostly in the Northern province. The internationally recognized government controls the country’s oil and gas fields in the Southern province and the East and over 55 percent of the country’s land and resources. The STC holds control of Aden which is the Southern economic capital.

CONCLUSION

Yemen has not declared war on Israel as claimed in the post, a militant group, Houthi did.

By Olúwatóbi Ọdé̩yínká:

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now