Law, Power, and Justice

Bahrainis took to the streets on Friday to protest their country’s involvement in the military coalition that struck the Houthis, according to Bahraini activists who shared pictures of the demonstrations. Amid popular anger over its participation in the coalition, the Bahraini government has not independently acknowledged its role, but was named in the joint statement announcing the strike.

Scholars who study the Houthis warned that the strikes were highly unlikely to deter the militia, which has welcomed the prospect of a confrontation with the United States with open delight. “They hope to see an expanded regional war and they are eager to be on the frontlines,” said Hannah Porter, a senior research officer on Yemen at ARK Group, a U.K. firm that works in international development.

Military strikes on the Houthis had sent a “very clear message” that Britain and the United States would act to keep shipping lanes open, demonstrating that “if warnings aren’t heeded, consequences follow,” Britain’s foreign secretary, David Cameron, told NBC.

Yemen’s internationally recognized government — ousted from the Yemeni capital by the Houthis in 2014 — said that the only way to protect Red Sea security is by restoring Yemen’s “legitimate state institutions.” The government said in a statement that it holds the Houthis responsible for “dragging the country into a military confrontation.” But it also blamed the international community for policies that it said had “contributed to the survival and strengthening” of the militia.

The Treasury Department announced on Friday that it is imposing sanctions on two companies based in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates that it said were involved in sales of commodities that fund the Houthis and support their attacks in the Red Sea. “The United States continues to take action against the illicit Iranian financial networks that fund the Houthis and facilitate their attacks,” said Brian E. Nelson, Treasury’s under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.

Huge crowds have gathered in cities across Yemen to protest the U.S.-led strikes and demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinian people, according to the official Yemen news agency. People have packed into Al-Sabeen Square in the capital, Sana, and there were marches in the Saada and Hajjah governates, the news agency, Saba, reported.