The Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen is using revelations from the
Jeffrey Epstein files to mount a propaganda campaign against
Saudi Arabia, seeking to undermine the kingdom's leadership amid renewed fighting between the two sides.
The group has seized on reports that associates of the Saudi royal court sent tapestries that once covered the Kaaba, Islam's holiest site in Mecca, to Epstein's private island in the Caribbean. The Houthis have used the allegations to challenge Saudi Arabia's claim to defend Islam.
“Those who gave Epstein the Kaaba’s cover are the ones targeting Mecca,” the New York Times quoted Houthi president Mahdi al-Mashat as saying.
The remarks followed Saudi Arabia's accusation last month that the Houthis had fired a drone at Mecca in an attempt to provoke Muslims. The militia denied the charge and countered with the allegations involving Epstein.
Epstein has also featured in speeches by Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, who has used the case to attack the United States and Israel. “Epstein’s files demand serious attention,” he said in a February address.
“They unveil a Zionist incubator that trains leaders and elites.”
The messaging comes as Yemen's conflict has intensified again. Saudi Arabia has backed the internationally recognised Yemeni government against the Houthis, whose attacks have targeted Saudi aviation and energy infrastructure. The Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen, which began in 2015, contributed to a devastating humanitarian crisis.
The Houthis have also drawn on grievances over the Saudi-led bombing campaign and civilian suffering in Yemen to portray the kingdom as an adversary of Muslims.