Why Yemen’s long ‘no war, no peace’ deadlock may be ending
Sanaa, Yemen – Both Yemen’s internationally recognised government and the Houthi rebel group began mobilising fighters in late June. Houthi military...
Key points
- Sanaa, Yemen – Both Yemen’s internationally recognised government and the Houthi rebel group began mobilising fighters in late June.
- Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said that the “de-escalation phase” of Yemen’s war was over.
- Regional threats The Houthis have blamed Saudi Arabia for the attack on Sanaa airport, despite the Yemeni government’s claim that it was responsible.
- And as Iran attacks the Gulf from the east, the fear is that the Houthis will attack from the south – as they have done in the past, during the height of the Yemen war.
What happened
Sanaa, Yemen – Both Yemen’s internationally recognised government and the Houthi rebel group began mobilising fighters in late June. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said that the “de-escalation phase” of Yemen’s war was over. Regional threats The Houthis have blamed Saudi Arabia for the attack on Sanaa airport, despite the Yemeni government’s claim that it was responsible. And as Iran attacks the Gulf from the east, the fear is that the Houthis will attack from the south – as they have done in the past, during the height of the Yemen war. “From this perspective, the Houthi renewed focus on Saudi Arabia [and] the blockade [of Sanaa Airport] … can be interpreted as an attempt to reconstruct a local narrative that portrays any future escalation with the Gulf as an extension of the Yemeni conflict, rather than simply a reflection of regional tensions or the interests of the Houthis’ allies [Iran and Hezbollah],” Salah said. Years of faltering diplomatic negotiations between the Houthis and the Yemeni government, as well as Saudi Arabia, have meant that a coming military battle cannot be ruled out, said Yemeni analyst Adel Dashela.