00:00A shocking controversy involving Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender, has become
00:06a new weapon in the escalating propaganda battle between Yemen's Houthi rebels and
00:12Saudi Arabia.
00:13There have been reports that sacred Islamic textiles once associated with the Kaaba in
00:19Mecca were transferred to Epstein.
00:21The Houthis are now using these reports to accuse Saudi Arabia's leadership of betraying
00:27Islamic values.
00:28But this is more than a controversy over religious artifacts.
00:33It is also a political battle for influence across the region.
00:37According to the New York Times, revelations from the U.S. Department of Justice have given
00:42the Iran-backed Houthis an opportunity to intensify their attacks on the Saudi leadership through
00:48messaging and propaganda.
00:50The textiles reportedly once adorned the Kaaba, the sacred cube-shaped structure at the center
00:56of Islam's holiest site in Mecca.
00:59Houthi leader Mahdi al-Mashat reportedly used the controversy to accuse Saudi Arabia of hypocrisy,
01:07declaring, those who gave Epstein the Kaaba's cover are the ones targeting Mecca.
01:12These are allegations promoted by the Houthis.
01:15Saudi Arabia has not publicly responded to the accusations, according to the report.
01:20The New York Times reports that the Houthis are using social media posts, videos, songs,
01:26speeches, and online influencers to turn the controversy into a broader political message.
01:33Their messaging presents the group as defenders of Islam and portrays Saudi Arabia as having
01:39betrayed religious values.
01:40This strategy allows the group to take a story involving a controversial figure and connect
01:46it to existing regional tensions, religious sentiment, and its long-running rivalry with
01:52Riyadh.
01:53Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, supports Yemen's internationally recognized government, which remains locked
01:59in conflict with the Houthis.
02:01The information campaign comes amid renewed regional tensions and an intensifying conflict
02:07involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, according to the report.
02:12The Houthis have combined political messaging with military operations, including missile and drone
02:18attacks targeting Saudi Arabia, the report says.
02:22This means the struggle is not taking place only on the battlefield.
02:25It is also unfolding through online narratives, public statements, and competing claims about
02:31who represents Islamic values and who threatens them.
02:34The controversy also comes after Saudi authorities placed Mecca on alert last month, accusing the
02:41Houthis of carrying out strikes targeting the Holy City.
02:45The rebels denied the accusation.
02:48The allegations surrounding the textiles, Epstein, and the Kaaba have therefore added another sensitive
02:54dimension to an already bitter regional rivalry.
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