29 January 2017By Abdulrahman Al-Rashed
Supported by the Saudi-led Arab coalition, the Yemeni army has surprised
everyone by entering and expanding in Saada which is considered to be under
Houthi control.
This is a very important development and even the Vice President of Yemen Ali
Mohsen Saleh Al-Ahmar flew there, and this confirms the importance of the
battle and its symbolic value. A year and a half ago, the rebels believed that
General Ali Mohsen Saleh Al-Ahmar would not return to Yemen after he left it
and that this signalled the end of the republic.
However, there were many important and simultaneous military developments on
the ground in Yemen, and Yemeni legitimate forces and coalition forces have
achieved victories on many fronts.
Mokha, in the west of the country, was liberated with support from the air and
the sea and this allowed it regain control of Bab Al-Mandab. This is according
to recent reports that also mentioned the significant progress made in Taiz
where fighting continues in every single street in the city, and in Al-Bayda
also. The Yemeni army has also gained control of most of the east coast which
was a gateway to smuggle weapons from Iran to the rebels.
It is difficult for the rebels to penetrate the naval blockade after the
intensification of the naval forces activities that resist ships and boats
smuggling weapons. These simultaneous victories are politically important and
will encourage large countries that are reluctant to stand with the legitimate
government. Yemen will be a test for the policies of the new US President
Donald Trumps administration in confronting Iran.
Politically, we are witnessing quick actions, and the UN envoy returned to
propose a long-term truce and negotiate a peaceful solution. The rebels, the
Houthi militias and those loyal to President Ali Saleh, want to manoeuvre and
are therefore delaying the acceptance of an international peace initiative.
The Houthis insist on transferring all of the Presidents power to his deputy.
This will weaken the initiative and disrupt it and will make them lose their
chance to participate in government.
Their intransigent attitude is most probably influenced by Irans stance which
plays a primary role in igniting the war and supporting all the military,
diplomatic and propaganda related activities of the rebels. The Iranians
insist on participating in the negotiations in order to sell their allies in
Yemen within the regional barter basket.
Due to the fact that the legitimate government has recovered nearly eighty per
cent of Yemen, the rebels options have become limited and they have a short
period of time to take advantage of a peaceful solution to end the war through
reconciliation and political partnership. This opportunity will no longer be
available once military takeover becomes imminent!
The losses suffered by the militias have affected their internal relations,
and most of their forces that are located in the capital Sanaa now differ
regarding how to manage their government, and this includes the slogan that
the Houthis borrowed from Iranian militias ''Death to America, death to
Israel''. The group loyal to the ousted President Saleh is using another slogan
that is just as hypocritical after they ripped the country apart; ''One Yemen
and one people''.
Sanaa will be the last battle, and I do not say that it will be the decisive
one because the rebels draft project has definitely failed as they have lost
most of Yemen, have failed to manage the alternative government and failed to
move the central bank to Aden, which has become the capital since Hadis
government moved there after returning from exile in Saudi Arabia.
Recent military gains are leading to significant breakthroughs in the war in
Yemen that has been going on for more than a year and a half, and this is a
shorter period than the duration of other wars in the region. The wars in
Syria and Libya have been going on for five years, and the war in Afghanistan
has been going on for 15. Yemeni people have suffered greatly as a result of
the coup, the destruction of the political system and the legitimate
authority, and the rebels seizure of the states resources and the entire
country.
Al Rashed is the
general manager of Al -Arabiya television. He is also the former
editor-in-chief of Asharq Al- Awsat, and the leading Arabic weekly magazine,
Al Majalla. He is also a senior Columnist in the daily newspapers of Al Madina
and Al Bilad. He is a US post-graduate degree in mass communications. He has
been a guest on many TV current affairs programs. He is currently based in
Dubai.
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