Houthi rebels’ attack reinvigorates coalition

The attack by Houthis this week in Yemen has served to reinvigorate the Saudi-led coalition and pave way for a determined action to wipe out the Iranian-backed rebels.
A single Soviet-era missile, fired by Houthi rebels hit a concentration of Saudi-led coalition troops. The outcome was 45 Emirati soldiers martyred, along with 10 Saudis and five Bahrainis.
The response was immediate. Both the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain said they were sending more men and equipment. Qatar has also committed 1,000 troops and 200 armored fighting vehicles. Sudan is to send an army contingent of 6,000. Egypt has sent 800 troops. And, of course, the Kingdom continues to play the leading role both in the air and on the ground.
The murder of 60 soldiers who had taken on the duty of protecting the legitimate government of a fellow Arab state was of course a blow. The greatest sympathy is due to the family, friends and comrades of the fallen.
There is a time-honored tragedy playing out here. In every war, the losing side is late in recognizing the inevitability of defeat.
That means that more lives will be wasted until the reality is accepted, that there can be no victory.
And it is clear that the majority of Houthis have still not seen that their revolt is doomed. For this, they will one day blame their Iranian sponsors and backers. But for the moment, the siren call of Tehran’s political and military agents is still luring their rebellion toward the rocks.
They still believe the Iranian promises that they can oust the government and impose their own rule. They still take at face value the promises of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. He pretends he now backs the Houthis in their attempt to oust President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. And the Houthis believe him. It is a sign of their downright stupidity. When he was in power, Saleh endeavored to crush the Houthis. On the other hand, the Hadi government, behind which the Kingdom has thrown its full support, was in the process of negotiating the Houthi concerns when the violent uprising began.
Even now it may not be too late for the rebels to dispense with their Iranian masters, lay down their arms and start negotiating. But with every passing day and fresh deaths, that moment looks to be harder to achieve.
And something else is becoming clear. The Houthis are not simply puppets of the Iranians. They are impostors. They do not represent the majority of Yemenis. They do not even represent the Zaidi Shiites of Yemen. The violence and misery that their rebellion has brought about is based on a lie. These people represent no one except themselves and the dark interests of their Iranian sponsors.
Their dishonorable background and motives comes in stark contrast to the forces that have joined together to end their savagery. The Saudi-led coalition includes fellow GCC countries. It includes Sudan. It has the backing of all peace-loving Arab states. It also has the backing of the international community led by the Americans. This was made clear to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman when he visited President Obama at the White House last week. In a statement after the meeting the president said he shared King Salman’s desire for an inclusive, functioning government in Yemen. Such a government could relieve the humanitarian crisis in what was already an impoverished state. Obama also reiterated Washington’s commitment to the security of the Kingdom and the stability of the wider region.
On the ground and in the air, the pressure from coalition forces continues unabated. It appears that with the relief of Aden, the focus is moving toward Taiz and Maarib. Pressure on the capital Sanaa will undoubtedly continue. But rebel forces at these new focal points need to be engaged and defeated. The base of the 35th Armored Brigade in Taiz was seized by rebels earlier this year. Its recapture will rob the Houthis of an important position.
The launch of the Saudi-led Decisive Storm operation in March demonstrated the shock and awe of which the Kingdom’s armed forces are capable. Aden has been saved. The Houthi rebels driven back at terrible cost to their people. Now they face defeat in detail unless someone in their leadership decides to cut the strings held by their puppet masters in Tehran.