As the war in Yemen continues, foreign and local critics unaware of the ground realities take aim at Saudi Arabia’s grueling and costly efforts to stabilize the country.
This week critics became more vocal following the bombing of a village wedding in Yemen that left more than 70 people dead. Some congressional leaders in the United States have asked the Obama administration for explanations for its continued support of the war. Saudi Arabia has categorically denied the coalition was responsible for the wedding bombing.
The bombing of the wedding is a terrible tragedy and who is exactly responsible for the deaths still must be determined. Civilian deaths under any circumstances are a high price to pay to stamp out Houthi-controlled territory.
I have had my doubts about the war at the beginning, but the Houthis’ resilience in the face of the sophisticated Saudi military has given me pause to consider what’s at stake.
The Saudi government has made it clear from the beginning that the Houthis are at the beck and call of Iran, which wants a foothold on the Arabian Peninsula through Yemen. By controlling Yemen, Iran can control the mouth of the Red Sea, which is Saudi Arabia’s lifeline for goods shipped to Saudi ports.
Earlier this year, then Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, had left no doubt by telling reporters that Iran continues its “interference in affairs of Arab countries.”
The late foreign minister had said, “We are, of course, worried about atomic energy and atomic bombs. But we’re equally concerned about the nature of action and hegemonic tendencies that Iran has in the region. These elements are the elements of instability in the region. We see Iran involved in Syria and Lebanon and Yemen and Iraq … Iran is taking over (Iraq)… It promotes terrorism and occupies lands. These are not the features of countries which want peace and seek to improve relations with neighboring countries.”
At the beginning of the war in March, this might be interpreted by the West as an overreaction, if not paranoia, by Saudis. We, of course, have since seen US President Barack Obama win approval in the Senate for its Iran nuclear deal that ultimately will lift economic sanctions against Iran that undoubtedly will ramp up their influence in the Middle East.
Equally disturbing is the military performance of the Houthis. The Houthis have leveled a low-grade campaign against the Yemen government since 2004. When Saudi Arabia initiated airstrikes in March, the Houthis were easily routed. However, their emergence in the following months as a fighting force is a clear indication that the rebels are supplied with sophisticated weaponry.
In May US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said, “There is well-documented history of (Iranian) support for the Houthis, including in various State Department reports — money, weapons, support for a very long time.” And Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters that Iran has sent “a number of flights every single week” to Yemen with vital supplies. With Iran’s growing influence, now supported by the nuclear deal with the United States and its new relationship with Russia to help protect Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria, Saudi Arabia can ill-afford to leave Yemen to the Houthis.
An Iranian-backed Yemen government would give Iran control over the Red Sea and bring the GCC to its knees. This is no longer a Cold War or a war of words. It’s gone beyond geopolitical gamesmanship. It’s a war in which losing could have a real and immediate impact on the people of Saudi Arabia.
