Senior members of the Presidential Leadership Council, the latest incarnation of Yemen's legitimate but largely powerless government, told reporters at the World Economic Forum (WEF) that world powers are using the council's “Ground troops” should be funded, he said. Houthis.
U.S. and British airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen are “futile” without infantry support, council vice-chairman Aidars al-Zubaidi told Agence France-Presse (AFP) from Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, adding that the presidential council He said that the military (official army) was “powerless”. Yemeni government forces were the only option to eliminate the Houthis, a global threat.
Ansarullah, the official name of the Houthis, is a Shiite jihadist terrorist organization that invaded and occupied Yemen's capital Sanaa in 2014 with the aim of overthrowing the government of then-President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. With help from the Islamic regime in Iran, the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism, the Houthis have maintained control of Sana'a, while the official government has split between exile in Saudi Arabia and a new headquarters in southern Aden. . Hadi resigned from the presidency in 2022 and became head of the Presidential Council, which includes seven members of the country's various anti-Houthi political factions.
Al-Zubaidi, who heads the breakaway Southern Transitional Council, is calling for global support for his political group as the Houthis have launched a campaign of aggression against international commercial shipping transiting the Red Sea. I attended the Davos conference for this purpose.
“Securing international navigation in the Red Sea requires international and regional alliances,” Zubaidi said. Said AFP. “Ground forces must be supported on the ground, and these forces belong to the legitimate government. A strong attack without ground operations is useless, so these forces can achieve victory on the ground .”
Zubaidi complained that the Saudi government's long-standing support for the controversial Houthi rebels was “inadequate” and called on the rest of the world to “share information, build capacity, train and equip.” I specified that I would ask for it. The vice president also lamented that the US and UK are bombing the Houthis without cooperating with Yemen's legitimate government.
In a comment to an Emirati newspaper, Nationwide, published On Tuesday, Zubaidi similarly complained that American airstrikes against Houthi targets were “not enough.”
“The way to deal with this is to conduct a comprehensive military operation involving regional stakeholders to stop piracy in Bab el-Mandeb. [more] The important thing is to support the ground forces, the STC forces and the PLC forces on the ground,” Zubaidi said. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a passage through Yemen that connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
Houthis — their leaders slogan “Allahu Akbar, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse to the Jews, Victory to Islam” – declared war on Israel in October as a sign of support for another Iranian-backed terrorist organization, Hamas. did. October 7th, Israel in Modern History. As part of the declaration, the terrorists announced that they would not allow Israeli ships to sail around Bab el-Mandeb or to enter or exit Israeli ports. In fact, they target ships with little or no clear connection to Israel, bombing and attempting to seize commercial ships seemingly at random. The attack caused major shipping companies to reroute their routes around Africa's Cape of Good Hope, and shipping traffic in the region was dramatically disrupted.
On November 20, 2023, Yemeni Houthi fighters overwhelm the Galactic Leader in the Red Sea, Yemen. (Houthi movement, via Getty Images)
Left-wing US President Joe Biden — decision The removal of the Houthis from the State Department's list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) in 2021 dramatically increased their funding capacity. It responded to the global trade disruption by establishing Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multinational naval coalition effort to protect against the Houthis. attack The operation has garnered little support as sovereign nations have chosen to engage in their own naval activities outside of the auspices of the Pentagon.
Following the failure of Operation Prosperity Guardian, Mr Biden on January 12th authorized targeted airstrikes on Houthi ground targets with the British military. These airstrikes prompted Zubadi's criticism that Washington had not involved legitimate government forces more directly in the operation. .
In this handout image provided by the UK Ministry of Defence, a Royal Air Force Typhoon aircraft flies into Akrotiri, Cyprus, to join the US-led coalition in airstrikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels in Akrotiri, Cyprus, on January 11, 2024. Taking off from the Royal Air Force. (MoD Crown copyright from Getty Images)
“The Houthi escalation in the Red Sea is unacceptable. Maritime navigation must be protected,” Zubadi said. Nationwide. “There was no coordination. [on the airstrikes]. However, safe maritime navigation is a responsibility not only for Yemen, but also for the region and the international community. ”
Zubadi also criticized the Saudi government for similar misperceptions. “When the Arab coalition was carrying out airstrikes in Yemen, there were virtually no effective ground forces to supplement the airstrikes, and the airstrikes were only successful in the south.”
The Vice-Chairman of the Presidential Council also proposed a “long-term partnership” with the United States and the United Kingdom to ensure the long-term military presence of these countries in the region.
“We also want to build long-term partnerships with countries including the United States and the United Kingdom,” he said. “We don't just want to participate in military operations, we want to build long-term partnerships to protect these areas.”
Yemen's legitimate government has long called for a prolonged military intervention in Yemen.
Rashad Mohamed Al Alimi, Chairman of the Presidential Council, said: “With each year that passes without a firm position on Yemen, losses mount and militias and terrorist groups become more dangerous. “This poses a real and serious threat.” 2022 United Nations General Assembly.
“If we continue to fear the use of force against terrorism, it will lead to a humanitarian disaster,” Amini argued. “In truth, we need to find alternative solutions, certainly deterrence. The international community needs to support legitimate governments to ensure that the values of peace and peaceful coexistence prevail. There is.”
In remarks Thursday, Biden said he did not believe airstrikes against the Houthis were effective but would continue to authorize them.
“Are they stopping the Houthis? No. Will they continue? Yes,” Biden said. Quote As you say.
