Young Yemeni Rashid Al-Hadad has become an online sensation amid Houthi rebel attacks on ships in the Red Sea (Picture: Instagram/TikTok)
A young Houthi supporter has captured hearts on social media with ‘thirst trap’ videos filmed against a backdrop of cargo ships in the Red Sea.
The UK and US on Thursday launched a barrage of airstrikes on Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, following attacks on international shipping vessels passing through the Gulf of Aden.
But while global security experts are busy analysing this escalating conflict, over on TikTok, all eyes are on Rashid Al-Hadad, a young Yemeni ‘pirate’ whose videos have racked up tens of millions of views.
With tumbling brown curls and a flawless complexion, Rashid’s looks are certainly striking – leading one infatuated fan to dub him ‘Tim ‘Houthi’ Chalamet’, after Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet.
The social media sensation has TikTok on its knees (Picture: Instagram)
One clip of Rashid, reposted on X by a user named Mika, has gone viral with the caption: ‘Our man’s just chillin fr’.
And viewers couldn’t stop talking about one thing – his movie star style.
‘He had a face card and he knew he had to use it for good,’ a person called Maxi wrote on X.
Follow Metro on WhatsApp to be the first to get all the latest news
Want to be the first to hear the world’s top stories? Metro.co.uk is now on WhatsApp sending vital updates and top trending stories straight to your phone.
Follow us to receive the latest news updates from Metro (Picture: Getty Images)
Join the Metro WhatsApp community now for breaking news, juicy showbiz stories and must-watch videos from across our website.
Simply click on this link and select ‘Join Chat’. Don’t forget to turn on notifications so you’ll always be the first to hear the latest!
Another named Nickolaj said: ‘He can board my ship anytime.’
‘That guy should model,’ one fan tweeted (Picture: Instagram)
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
American viewer Taylor tweeted: ‘Dammit hes hot, we’re gonna lose the TikTok girlies to pirates aren’t we.’
Others joked that a 20-year-old version of themselves would have ‘gone absolutely feral’ for the young Yemeni, while one anonymous user wrote: ‘Not this sexy ruggard yemeni pirate blocking an empire at sea like what.’
Many said their entire social media feeds had been filled with ‘that model pirate from Yemen’, with some comparing him to Misfits actor Robert Sheehan.
Who are the Houthis?
The Houthi movement is a political and military group that follows a minority strand of Islam called Zaydism. It draws its name from an ancient Arab tribe from northern Yemen called the Houthis.
Following rising instability in the wake of the Arab Spring, they seized control of Yemen’s capital of Sana’a in 2014, sparking one of the deadliest civil wars in recent history – which is still ongoing today.
Yemen’s official government, recognised by most countries including the UK, is backed by a Saudi-led coalition which Britain has supplied with weapons.
Both sides are widely believed to have carried out war crimes and atrocities against civilians, overseeing some of the worst humanitarian conditions in the world.
The Houthis are currently in control over almost all of northern Yemen, although much of the country has been devastated, with a death toll of over 150,000.
Houthi forces have launched dozens of drone and missile strikes on commercial vessels since November 19, most of which have been intercepted.
The faction say its goal is to ‘prevent Israeli ships from navigating the Arab and Red Seas in support of the oppressed Palestinian people’.
In reality, though, almost all the targets have been international trading ships – some making port in Israel, many simply passing through to other parts of the world.
Is the ‘hot pirate’ really a pirate?
Not much is known about Rashid Al-Hadad outside of his social media videos.
Before Hamas’ attack on 7 October and Israel’s subsequent strikes and ground incursion into the Gaza Strip, his online accounts consisted of the sporadic selfies.
However, since the escalation, he has frequently shared content in support of Palestine.
Rashid first went viral in November, when a video of him on a cargo ship holding a Yemeni flag racked up nearly 180,000 likes on Instagram.
In January, he posted a different version of the cargo ship video, with the caption ‘Yemeni Armed Forces’, leading some to believe that Rashid was a member of the Iran-backed Houthi army.
But some have argued that Rashid is just a ‘regular guy’.
‘He’s not a pirate. Just a regular guy visiting possibly the biggest public attraction Yemen currently has to offer,’ Aldan Marki wrote on X.
The ship that Rashid appears to be sailing around is the Galaxy Leader, a Japanese-operated cargo ship that was hijacked by Houthi rebels in November.
The Galaxy Leader has become a ‘tourist attraction’ since Houthi rebels hijacked it in November (Picture: Houthi Movement via Getty Images)
On Monday, Rashid wrote on Instagram: ‘The ship is now our right, don’t turn it around’.
Rashid regularly on TikTok under the handle @rr010, but his account has been banned as of a few hours ago.
What’s happening in Yemen?
Yemen descended into civil war in 2014, when Iran-backed Houthi rebels took control of the capital Sanaa and a military coalition backed by Saudi Arabia and allied forces intervened.
Since November, the Houthis have launched drone and missile strikes on more than 20 ships in the Red Sea in support of Palestine.
While they have said that they are targeting Israeli vessels, the UN shipping watchdog said that the group have attacked ships with no links to Israel whatsoever.
15% of all shipping trade passes through the Red Sea – which means that the Houthi blockade has big implications for international trade.
The US and UK have carried out strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in retaliation. On Sunday, the US said it shot down a missile fired towards one of its warships.
Tensions in the region has stoked fears that the Red Sea conflict Red Sea between the Houthis and the US could escalate.
While security experts are busy analysing an escalating conflict, a very different conversation is playing out on social media.
