Houthi Attacks: Mia Khalifa claims US ‘bombed a country’, gets brutally fact-checked

Former adult star Mia Khalifa came under fire recently for her comments on the US and UK’s strikes on the Houthis. Khalifa.

Who has been vocal about her support for Palestine since the October 7 attack, where she asked, “freedom fighters to shoot horizontal videos” and called a picture of Hamas terrorists a “Renaissance painting”.

Recently, Khalifa posted on X: “Imagine bombing a country for seizing a ship in their own waters that THEY have jurisdiction over …….”

The news was fact-checked by Community Notes which pointed out that 1) Ships were boarded and seized by Houthis when it was in international waters and 2) Territorial sea extends to 12 nautical miles from the baseline.

X user Drew Pavlou also pointed out: “The US did not “bomb a country,” they carried out air strikes on the military infrastructure of an unrecognised terror group. Launching missiles at civilian cargo ships in INTERNATIONAL WATERS is a war crime. Mia Khalifa is truly a stupid person.”

Another user pointed out: “Imagine being from the Middle East and not knowing the Houthis aren’t the government of Yemen.”

A third wrote: “The Houthis have jurisdiction over Yemeni waters? Why do we normalize the idea that every person, regardless of intelligence or station, should have an opinion on everything?”

Khalifa has been vocal about the Israel-Palestine conflict and her statements saw her cause significant outrage.

What is the Galaxy Leader incident?

On 19 November 2023, Houthi militants seized Galaxy Leader, a cargo vessel travelling from Turkey to India in the southern Red Sea, claiming it had Israeli affiliation. This was followed by a warning by Houthi leader Abdulmalik Al Houthi that the Houthi forces would target any Israeli ships in the Red Sea.

While reports suggest that the UK company Ray Car Carriers, that owns the Japanese-operated vessel is co-owned by Israeli businessman Abraham Ungar, the seizure of the vessel was seen as the first sign of extension of the Israel-Palestine conflict beyond Gaza.

On 19 November 2023, Houthi militants seized Galaxy Leader, a cargo vessel travelling from Turkey to India in the southern Red Sea, claiming it had Israeli affiliation. This was followed by a warning by Houthi leader Abdulmalik Al Houthi that the Houthi forces would target any Israeli ships in the Red Sea.

While reports suggest that the UK company Ray Car Carriers, that owns the Japanese-operated vessel is co-owned by Israeli businessman Abraham Ungar, the seizure of the vessel was seen as the first sign of extension of the Israel-Palestine conflict beyond Gaza.

So far, the US has carried out two strikes on Houthi-controlled sites. The U.S. military early Saturday struck another Houthi-controlled site in Yemen that it had determined was putting commercial vessels in the Red Sea at risk, a day after the U.S. and Britain launched multiple airstrikes targeting Houthi rebels.

Associated Press journalists in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, heard one loud explosion.

U.S. Central Command said the “follow-on action” early Saturday local time against a Houthi radar site was conducted by the Navy destroyer USS Carney using Tomahawk land attack missiles.

The first day of strikes Friday hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets. President Joe Biden had warned Friday that the Houthis could face further strikes

The latest strike came after the U.S. Navy on Friday warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for the next 72 hours after the initial airstrikes. The warning came as Yemen’s Houthis vowed fierce retaliation, further raising the prospect of a wider conflict in a region already beset by Israel’s war in Gaza.