In a dramatic turn of events, Yemen’s embattled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi appealed for military intervention from Saudi Arabia and other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council to reverse the gains of the Iranian-backed Houthis. The Houthis occupied Yemen’s capital for months and are now trying to seize Aden. Contrary to the Saudi demand that all warring parties in Yemen sit and find a political solution, the Houthis have sought a total victory with the intention of imposing their political will on the rest of Yemen. For various reasons, the Houthis are trying to display their clout by storming every part possible in Yemen.
Against this backdrop, the Saudi-led Arab coalition launched airstrikes against the Houthis with a clear objective of restoring Yemen’s legitimate government. In other words, the aim of this military intervention is to bring back Yemen’s security and stability and this can only be achieved through a political process that the Houthis have thus far refused. It is hoped that the airstrikes would place a huge price tag on the Houthis and would cripple and convince them that short of a political process, worse is yet to come. It seems that the Kingdom is adamant about the need to restore the legitimate government. In a press conference held in Washington, Saudi Ambassador Adel Al-Jubeir insisted that his country “will do anything necessary to defend the legitimate government” in Yemen.
For years, Saudi Arabia and other members of the GCC have done everything necessary to help Yemen undergo smooth and peaceful political transition. And yet, the Houthis have undermined the process by capturing more territories and by resorting to violence to bully their political opponents. The Houthis — urged by Iran — refused to attend a conference in early March held under the auspices of the GCC countries to discuss means of restoring peace and stability in Yemen.
Things have gotten worse in March. The Houthi militias intensified their offense and in the process gained more weapons from Iran. Interestingly, it is the first time that a militia captured military aircraft, heavy weapons and missiles. Unless checked, the Houthis will pose a serious threat to other countries in the region. Not to mention that the Houthis will be a proxy for Iran in the Gulf region, a fact that will have grave consequences in the foreseeable future.
But it is not as if what takes place in Yemen is isolated from a competitive regional context. Iran has for years been trying to expand its influence with the ambition of becoming a regional superpower at the expense of other key regional countries. Hence, Tehran does not waste any opportunity to destabilize the region hoping that it will gain more influence.
For this reason, Saudi Arabia is not oblivious to Iran’s meddling in Yemen. In fact, the airstrikes have another key objective of containing Iranian aggressive expansionism and negative meddling in the region. A key objective of the campaign is to demonstrate to Iran that the Arabs will not stand idle while Iranian-backed militias tear up Yemen and seek to bring about a rather different regional order.
If anything, the Houthis are nothing but a proxy for Iran. This fact aggravates the delicate balance of power in the Gulf region. Key Middle Eastern countries are locked in a strategic competition for influence in the region. Iran, as a revisionist state, seeks to change the regional order to its favor. The last thing Riyadh wants to see is an Iranian-run state on its borders. Such a state would be a nightmare from a security point. Therefore, it is most likely that Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners will step up their campaign to restore the lost balance.
