I guess no one in The Economist knows Arabic. Not only there were multiple official statements from the Yemeni government, there has also been massive protests supporting Palestine and the Yemeni government blockade.

I guess the author doesn't know that both Hamas and Ansar Allah have grown more popular either. There is strong popular support across the Arab World and not just in Yemen or Palestine.

Decision makers in the West are handicapping themselves if they are willfully ignoring Arabic media. "What are the Arabs thinking? A complete mystery but let me as a western speculate".