The War Is Not Houthi, But Arab-Iranian
When the Yemeni army fights the Houthi group, it is in fact directly confronting Iran and countering a threat that endangers Arabs as a whole.
This reality must be clear to everyone, because the octopus-like arms extending from Iraq and Lebanon to Yemen are weakening Arab national security, not just that of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or the Gulf Cooperation Council states.
In reality, the Houthi group holds little strategic value based on military strength. It relies on Iranian weapons and lacks manufacturing capabilities. In a country that has been under blockade for years, it possesses no resources or materials for military use.
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Here, we must acknowledge that the Iranian regime has succeeded to some extent in smuggling weapons to the Houthis. This has helped expand the scope of aggression against the Kingdom, which continues to leave room for diplomatic communications in an effort to curb a rogue group that disregards human and Islamic values and pays no heed to the millions living in poverty under its domination of their regions’ resources.
In recent days, forces of the legitimate government have made significant advances in the Bab al-Mandab area and some other regions, while Houthi militias have retreated and been repelled. This indicates that the war is beginning to take a decisive, albeit slow, course due to several factors, including the imperative not to harm innocent civilians.
In fact, there is a reality overlooked by many analysts: the majority of Yemenis oppose the Houthi group and are eager to return to the fold of legitimacy. Thus, the equation here is difficult, as the battle is balanced on a knife’s edge: on one side, defeating all terrorist groups, including the Houthis, and halting Iranian interference in Yemen’s internal affairs; on the other, protecting the innocent. None of this can be addressed through reactive measures.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is balancing these considerations because it is a major state with vast capabilities to defeat this group if the war were conducted in spaces free of civilians. We must return to 2018, when legitimate and Arab coalition forces reached the outskirts of the capital, Sana’a, and the group known as “Ansar Allah” was on the verge of collapse.
The halt at the gates of Sana’a was aimed at focusing on the western coast and ensuring maritime security in Bab al-Mandab, the coast, and the city of Hodeidah and its strategic port. At that time, the primary concern of the coalition and legitimate forces—and still today—was the protection of civilians.
Today, we are witnessing a similar scenario, with the difference that political and military conditions have changed from the past, especially since terrorist attacks have crossed all boundaries, targeting holy sites and civilian areas.
This demonstrates a reality: Iran’s failure to achieve any progress in its war with the United States. This increasingly confirms that the major defeat of the Persian regime and its proxies is no longer distant, after its internal capabilities have been undermined, Hezbollah in Lebanon is currently being dismantled, the people of Iraq are beginning to understand what Iran, obsessed with revenge for centuries, has done to them, and Syria is being liberated from the terrorism of the Mullah regime.
Therefore, the battle in Yemen waged by the legitimate army will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for Iran across the entire region.
