Cenk Uygur Mourns The Houthi Terrorists | WATCH

In a bold escalation of the Middle East's tangled conflicts, Israeli forces launched airstrikes on Yemen's capital, Sanaa, late last week, targeting top officials of the Iran-backed Houthi militia. The attack, which Houthis claim wiped out their self-proclaimed prime minister and much of his cabinet, has ignited a firestorm of debate, not just over regional security, but also over media bias, disinformation, and the limits of progressive commentary in America. At the center of the storm: Cenk Uygur, the outspoken host of *The Young Turks*, whose viral reaction has drawn accusations of sympathizing with designated terrorists while branding Israel a "terrorist state."

The Strike: A Deadly Blow to Houthi Leadership

On August 29, 2025, Israeli warplanes struck a gathering of senior Houthi figures in southern Sanaa, resulting in the deaths of the group's self-declared prime minister, Ahmed al-Rahawi, and several other high-ranking officials in their de facto administration. The Houthis, formally known as Ansarallah and designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States earlier this year under the Trump administration, control large swaths of Yemen, including the capital. However, they are not internationally recognized as Yemen's legitimate government; the official Yemeni prime minister operates from the southern city of Aden under a rival administration backed by a Saudi-led coalition.

Israeli officials described the operation as a precision strike against key military figures, including the Houthi chief of staff and defense minister, in retaliation for months of Houthi missile and drone attacks on Israeli territory. The Houthis have justified their aggression as solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing Gaza war, but their actions have also disrupted global shipping in the Red Sea, targeting commercial vessels and exacerbating Yemen's humanitarian crisis, where widespread starvation and civilian suffering persist. In response to the Israeli raid, Houthi spokespeople vowed swift retaliation, heightening fears of a broader regional war.

This incident marks the latest chapter in Israel's multifaceted defense strategy, confronting threats from multiple Iran-aligned groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. But while the strike drew muted international condemnation, it exploded into controversy stateside thanks to one prominent voice.

Uygur's Outrage: Framing Israel as the Aggressor

Enter Cenk Uygur, the progressive firebrand and co-founder of The Young Turks (TYT), a left-leaning online news show with millions of viewers. On August 30, just a day after the strike, Uygur took to X (formerly Twitter) with a scathing post that quickly amassed over 3.5 million views: "Israel just murdered Prime Minister of Yemen and their entire cabinet. If anyone had done this to Israeli Prime Minister and Cabinet, they'd be considered by Western media as the worst terrorists in the world. So, what does that make Israel? They're obviously a terrorist state."

Uygur's framing portrayed the airstrike as an unprovoked assassination, emphasizing what he sees as glaring double standards in Western media and foreign policy. On his show, he and co-hosts doubled down, accusing Israel of terrorism and linking the event to broader criticisms of its actions in Gaza, where Uygur has repeatedly alleged genocide and excessive force. This aligns with Uygur's long-standing progressive activism, including his vocal opposition to U.S. support for Israel and his calls for accountability in Middle Eastern conflicts.

But Uygur's choice of words, referring to al-Rahawi simply as Yemen's "prime minister" without noting the Houthis' terrorist label or rebel status struck a nerve.

The response was quick and brutal. Pro-Israel commentators, analysts, and online users accused Uygur of spreading disinformation by legitimizing the Houthis as a sovereign government rather than a militant group responsible for civilian attacks and Yemen's dire humanitarian woes. "It is almost like the anti-Israel disinformation crowd got a memo to say Israel killed the Prime Minister of Yemen, even though they know it isn't true," tweeted urban warfare expert John Spencer, highlighting the misleading narrative.

Critics labeled Uygur a jihadi sympathizer and hypocrite, arguing that his selective outrage ignores Houthi atrocities, like their role in Yemen's famine and indiscriminate strikes on international shipping,while hyper-focusing on Israel's responses. Social media erupted with memes and threads calling out TYT's alleged pattern of bias toward Islamist groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, often portraying them as resistance fighters rather than terrorists. One Instagram post dubbed him "birdbrained antisemitic terror-supporter," tying his comments to broader antisemitism concerns.

Uygur, no stranger to controversy, having faced backlash for past tweets and his failed 2024 presidential bid, has yet to retract or clarify his statement. Sadly, we are sure it won't be his last.