Supported by the US and some Arab states, Saudi Arabia started a bloody war in fear of contagious liberating movements and in aspiration of leading the Arab world.
25th of March 2015, when Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman announced the establishment of an Arab coalition led by him to restore independence in Yemen and overthrow the Houthi militia is one undoubtedly one of the main turning points of the century.
“Operation Decisive Storm” was the name assigned to the military coalition in Yemen. Before Bin Salman’s announcement, even some of the coalition’s representatives were unaware of the plan.
The fact is that Saudi Arabia openly waged war on Yemen, and Saudi forces were the only ones who carried out offensive operations. The UAE then joined them, although behind the scenes, before its intended role in the southern secession movement became available.
Bin Salman’s pride has gotten ahead of him. With its immense economic strength and a massive army, he believes Saudi Arabia has the right to lead the Arab world. He feels it is time to take these arms outside the Kingdom’s boundaries in order to fulfill his dream, which is somewhat crazy. Saudi Arabia’s illegitimate ruler opted to begin military operations on the eve of the Arab Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, so that the whole world could observe his strength and influence, as well as his ability to mobilize Arab countries under his direction. He aspired to be depicted as a mighty hero leading the Arab armies.
Six years of brutal warfare, and no sign of legitimacy. Yemen has achieved little but ruin and devastation at the hands of those who are close to them in terms of property and blood. Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis have been killed in schools, mosques, streets, weddings, and funerals; rockets shot from the land of the Two Holy Mosques have killed people as well as soldiers.
If not by rockets, than by disease, the target is to exterminate the Yemeni population. According to a World Health Organization survey, cholera has been reported among children, killing thousands. Famine has been spread through the region as a result of Saudi Arabia’s and the UAE’s unfair blockade.
According to the UN, Yemen is facing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis; about 80% of Yemenis depend on assistance, and a lack of food security has resulted in an entirely man-made famine.
Yemen’s buildings and valleys have been transformed into ruins and debris by the Saudi prince. Out of malice and hate, MBS has ruined Yemen’s history and civilization, reverting the nation to the Stone Age.
The UAE has military and strategic goals in Yemen, which is the reason that it attempts to break the country in two. It supports the Southern Transitional Council, which is in charge of southern Yemen, and as a result, the island of Socotra and the port of Aden have fallen under its jurisdiction.
As a result, the UAE continues to cause havoc and has built hidden underground prisons where Yemenis are imprisoned. They murder sheikhs and clan leaders, as well as members of the Islah Group, which is related to the Muslim Brotherhood, the UAE’s arch-enemy, which it aims to destroy across the Arab world.
As stated by Reuters, the Kingdom spends around $175 million a month on bombing Yemen and another $500 million on ground attacks. Riyadh has been forced to divest $1.2 billion in European stock portfolios, putting a strain on Saudi international reserves that has never been seen before.
Faced with international criticism, Trump’s election setback — he turned a blind eye to Bin Salman’s excesses in Yemen — and US President Joe Biden’s resolve to end the conflict in Yemen, the Saudi crown prince announced a peace plan. He dubbed it the Saudi Plan for Peace in Yemen and basically pleaded with the Houthis to consider it.
Clearly, it is not the only option for resolving the Yemeni crisis, but it can be a step in the right direction. In either case, considering Saudi Arabia’s big compromises, it was immediately dismissed by the Houthis.
However, both sides resumed missile attacks less than 24 hours after the initiative was proposed. The Houthis have been excluded from America’s list of terrorist organizations, and they are now thinking and behaving from a position of power rather than weakness, as victors who set the terms before sitting down to negotiate a diplomatic settlement.
