Arab alliance mobilises to stop weapons reaching Houthis
The military escalation led by Shiite insurgents continues in Yemeni territory, backed by Iranian militias. It should not be forgotten that Iran is still involved in talks with Western powers in Vienna to resume the 2015 nuclear agreement, while the Islamic Republic continues to manufacture enriched uranium. At the same time, Yemen relies on Saudi Arabia for critical support. "Yemeni forces and the Arab coalition must move on several fronts to prevent weapons from reaching the Houthis and cripple their capabilities in parallel with continuing conventional military operations to reduce them and push them to the negotiating table," said Khaled al-Yamani, former Yemeni foreign minister in a statement to the "Arabs".
Al-Yamani added that "the Houthi movement can in no way come to sit down and seek peace except through the ability of the national army, the resistance and the coalition to contain the Houthi military movements". In fact, the former minister said that "while the Houthis are moving all fronts to serve their military objectives, the national army and the resistance fronts are moving unilaterally, which helps the Houthis to use their capabilities, as has happened in previous times when one front moves and another stops without any coordination, harmony or a common and unified operations room".
One of the biggest challenges for Yemeni forces and their partners is containing the Shia insurgents' ability to expand, which will limit their actions. Another challenge is activating the Arab coalition's effort to reduce smuggling operations, because almost all weapons used by the rebels come from foreign assistance, including drones, according to the 2015-2021 Committee of Experts' reports.
"The available warrant to limit the continuation of Houthi operations of this kind is the ability to control and monitor the crossings, in light of numerous reports of ways to smuggle these weapons to the Houthis and information indicating the presence of Houthi officials in Al-Mahra province to facilitate the passage of these shipments through the border port of Tahib and then transport them to Sana'a, in addition to the presence of smuggling points through Hodeidah," the former Yemeni minister noted.
Political observers predicted that the Arab alliance would intensify the Yemeni government's fight against Houthi targets. The Arab coalition's aim "is to pressure the Houthis to stop their military operations against neighbouring countries and make real concessions at the negotiating table". The Arab coalition also revealed preparations for "a large-scale military operation in Yemen against the Houthis that has the behavioural consequences of targeting civilians". The Arab statement came in the wake of the Houthi attack on King Abdullah International Airport in the city of Jizan. The Shia rebels "understand only the language of force and the process of response in accordance with international law," the coalition said. During the attack 16 individuals were wounded, three of them critically.
On the other hand, political observers have noted that "the Saudi-led Arab coalition needs a rapid review of the list of allies in Yemen, freeing Yemeni army institutions from the domination of the Brotherhood, which for the past seven years has disrupted any effort to truly defeat the Houthi militias, and work to move confrontations to the Saudi border in order to achieve regionally backed political agendas". However, Yemeni political sources have warned of a plan to destroy border fronts with Saudi Arabia in the provinces of al-Jouf and Hajjah.
While these plans to stop the rebels are being carried out, UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg is to embark on a new tour of Yemen. The Swede revealed a desire to return to explore the possibilities for peace in Yemen and make his own mark. "The man is talking about a number of parallel tracks, the political track, the security track and the economic track, and he is betting that through these tracks we can open up discussions at the community level and not a return to an old debate, not just direct dialogue between the government and the Houthis," Al-Yamani reported. At the same time, the US administration is focusing through its special envoy to Yemen, Tim Linderking, on two issues: the ceasefire in Yemen and finding ways forward with the Yemeni agreement on ways to live together.
Thus, the Arab coalition needs to activate a series of mechanisms to monitor the smuggling of arms and equipment sent to Shia insurgents by land and sea, with a greater emphasis on the work of the Yemeni coast guard. This will be a major milestone in the fight against foreign countries sending weapons to the Houthi insurgents.