Houthi Leader’s Appearance at Beirut Arab National Congress Sparks Outrage and Mockery: “Arab Nationalism Falls into Iran’s Hands”

The appearance of Houthi militia leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi via video during the Arab National Congress held in Beirut triggered a wave of outrage and ridicule across Arab political and media circles. Images and videos showed prominent Arab nationalist figures, including Egyptian politician Hamdeen Sabahi, attentively listening to the Houthi leader—a scene described by observers as “a new low for Arab nationalism, falling into the arms of an Iran-backed sectarian militia.”

In his recorded speech, al-Houthi attacked what he called “pro-American forces,” accusing them of subjugating Arab nations to Israel and the West. He also boasted of his group’s “efforts to support Palestine,” claiming to have organized over half a million activities and trained more than a million people militarily under that banner.

Former Yemeni Foreign Minister and Arab nationalist leader Abdulmalik al-Mekhlafi condemned allowing the Houthi leader to speak, calling it “a major farce and a dangerous deviation from the congress’s founding principles.” He said the Arab National Congress has been in decline since 2015, when it aligned itself with Iranian-backed sectarian agendas, losing its independence and credibility.

Mekhlafi concluded that the Beirut event marks “a complete deviation from Arab nationalist principles” and a clear indication that the congress has become “a platform serving regional agendas alien to the Arab project.”

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