A Lebanese writer warns against the entrenchment of the "Iranian entity" in northern Yemen

English - Wednesday 21 September 2022 الساعة 06:40 pm
Aden, NewsYemen:

An Arab writer warned of what he called "the consolidation of the presence of the Iranian entity established by the Houthis in northern Yemen," adding that "at the heart of this entity is the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, and the important port of Hodeidah on the Red Sea and extending to Taiz."

In an article published by Middle East Online under the title (The Future of the Iranian Entity in Yemen), the Lebanese writer Khairallah Khairallah said, in light of the truce prevailing in Yemen since the beginning of last April, there is a phenomenon that it is worth stopping at, in addition to, of course, the beginning of crystallization of the conviction that the existence of  The absence of a military solution to the dilemma facing the country.

He added, "This phenomenon is represented in the consolidation of the presence of the Iranian entity established by the Houthis in the Arabian Peninsula. At the heart of this entity is the capital, Sana'a, and the important port of Hodeidah on the Red Sea. Also, this entity, which extends to reach Taiz divided into zones of influence, has a long border with the Kingdom.  Saudi Arab".

He stressed that there is no longer any escape from the necessity of taking the establishment of such an entity seriously.  The age of this entity is now eight years, completely.

He stated that the Houthis "completed their control on the 21st of September 2014 over Sana'a after former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi - who abolished the Yemeni army - showed naivety, and no more naivety, in dealing with this phenomenon."

Khairallah said: "Eight years after the "Islamic Republic" took control of Sanaa and tightened its control over Hodeidah and the assassination of Ali Abdullah Saleh in late 2017, and after the Houthis pretended that they were ready to share power with him, Iranian officials are proud of the Yemeni victory that has been achieved for them." 

And he added, "They consider that there are four Arab capitals that have come under the control of Tehran. These capitals are, in addition to Sana'a, Baghdad, Damascus and Beirut."

He noted "several positive steps to put an end to Iranian influence in Yemen, including the establishment of the current Presidential Leadership Council, which rid Yemen of Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi and the group surrounding him and reduced the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood."

In this context, he said, "This council, headed by Rashad Al-Alimi, still has some time to show that something has changed in Yemen, at least in terms of the performance of 'legitimacy' in its areas of control."

But the question - says the writer - that will arise, is the Iranian entity in Yemen an eternal entity and that there is no way to get rid of it without a radical change in the Iranian interior that makes this country a natural and peaceful country?

He continued, "Despite all the recruitment and mobilization campaigns carried out by the Houthis in their areas of control, the question will remain. Is it possible for a change to occur within the northern regions, which is the largest part of what was known before the union in 1990 as the "Yemen Arab Republic"?"

 "It is useful to return to the starting point," he added.  This means acknowledging that the Houthis would not have taken control of Sanaa had it not been for the stupid decision taken by the former president (Hadi) to restructure the Yemeni army.

He stressed that Hadi "did this out of one premise, which was revenge against Ali Abdullah Saleh, who kept him as his deputy for eleven years, and the son of former president Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was leading the Republican Guard Brigades, an organized force that was able to confront the Houthis in six wars with them."  .

 He pointed out that "it has been proven that the only beneficiary of the coup carried out by the Muslim Brotherhood - against the late Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2011 - was Iran, which had planned for several years to find a foothold in Yemen, that is, in the Arabian Peninsula."

Khairallah believed that it would not be easy to get rid of the Houthis and Iranian domination of northern Yemen, but it is not known whether the group will succeed in subjugating society in northern Yemen in light of its efforts to spread a certain culture in this region based on two things;  The first is changing educational programs and spreading myths, and the second is forced conscription, which includes children and adolescents.

He added: What could encourage some optimism in Yemen is that the Houthis do not have any economic, educational or political program related to what is civilized in this world.  They have nothing but misery and backwardness, which they spread and circulate throughout the north of Yemen.

In addition, the "Giants Forces" that confronted the Houthis early this year in Ma'rib and Shabwa proved that they are not an invincible force, says the Lebanese writer Khairallah Khairallah.

The writer concluded by saying: Can the situation in northern Yemen change due to internal factors, or is the world ready to let the Iranian entity become entrenched, similar to what is happening in the Gaza Strip, where there is no indication that the “Islamic Emirate” established by “Hamas” with the blessing of Israel  , since mid-2007, will it be gone tomorrow?