Twittering the Saudi Intervention in Yemen

Given the high rate of adoption of Twitter in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, Arabic-language tweets have predominantly supported the Saudi intervention in Yemen, frequently employing sectarian language.

by Mareike Transfeld

Backed by a broad regional alliance, the Saudi military intervened in Yemen in the early morning of March 26, 2015. The purported reason for the intervention was to protect the legitimacy of the Yemeni government and prevent the Houthis from taking over the state.

The event triggered global reactions on Twitter, with users in differen…