Hot Houthi Pirate Wants People To Stop Salivating Over Him

A Yemeni Houthi follower, who has gone viral on social media for being "hot," is urging people to redirect their focus from his good looks to backing his stance on supporting Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen have been striking Western shipping vessels passing through the Red Sea in retaliation for their support of Israel as the war in Gaza continues. President Joe Biden has ordered multiple airstrikes against the rebels, following what he described as an "extensive diplomatic campaign" to stop the attacks on international ships going through the region.

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 the 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.

Amid fears of an impending war, an influencer calling himself Rashid al-Haddad online has become a viral sensation after sharing footage of himself onboard the Bahamian-flagged, Japan-chartered Galaxy Leader. Video footage of the influencer on the car carrier, which was captured by Houthis in November, has led to him being dubbed "Timhouthi Chalamet," a reference to actor Timothée Chalamet.

His accounts across multiple social media platforms—including Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat—have amassed thousands of followers. While there is no evidence that he participated in seizing the sea vessel, the Houthi supporter has also been referred to as the "hot pirate" of the region.

However, al-Haddad has expressed a reluctance to be seen this way as he shared screenshots of Newsweek's coverage of his social media popularity on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.

"I did not talk about beauty or anything else, but our issue is Palestine, and this is not the time to talk about beauty," he wrote in Arabic, in response to the headline, "'Hot' Houthi Pirate Becomes Online Sensation: 'God You're Beautiful.'"

"I hope that my message will reach you, a free Palestine, and we will [fight] against the Israeli aggression that violates human rights," al-Haddad wrote.

As of press time, the post has been viewed more than 700,000 times.

One clip shared on Instagram on Monday, showed al-Haddad on the Galaxy Leader, alongside the Arabic caption: "The ship is ours now, do not look for it anymore."

Up until Monday, al-Haddad had also posted regularly on TikTok under the handle @rr010. This has since been deleted, although it's unclear if it was deleted by the user, or banned by the social media platform. Newsweek has contacted representatives of TikTok via email for comment.

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 said.