Iranian Missiles On The Anniversary Of The Yemen War
28 March 2018
By Abdulrahman Al-Rashed
The seven ballistic missiles launched at four Saudi cities by the Houthis
underscore the correctness of waging the war against them and the soundness of
the warnings about Iran's role in the region. It is Iran that smuggles the
missiles and orchestrates their launching into Saudi Arabia.
On Sunday night we witnessed the first major attack on Saudi Arabia since the
start of Iran's efforts to control Yemen three years ago. But despite the
large number of missiles launched and the distance they crossed, the operation
remains a mere show, and the four missiles in the skies over Riyadh were no
more than fireworks.
It is no coincidence that they were launched on the third anniversary of the
war against the coup staged by the Houthi militias and forces loyal to former
President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
While the missiles failed to hit any vital target, they succeeded in enabling
the Saudi government to remind everyone that the war against the Houthis and
their allies was and continues to be war of necessity.
Currently, the Houthis control about a quarter of Yemen — with great
difficulty, even in their stronghold Saada governorate. There was a time when
they controlled all of Yemen, including the city of Aden in the south, to the
extent that the legitimate government led by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi
had to flee through Oman to Saudi Arabia.
Thus, had the military campaign not been launched, Yemen as a whole, not just
a quarter of it, including its ports and airports, would have been under
Iranian influence; and the Iranians would have been able to fire thousands of
ballistic missiles and conventional rockets into Saudi territory.
Those who denounce the military solution, on the third anniversary of the war,
should imagine what would have happened had Yemen, or most of it, still been
under the control of the Houthis and other rebels.
The situation would have been frightening; much worse and more serious for
both Yemen and Saudi Arabia, and would have caused a wider war than the one we
have witnessed in the past 36 months.
The launch of the seven missiles was a propaganda show, but it does not
demonstrate a superior capability on the part of the Houthis; rather, it
proves their inability to use missiles as they would wish.
It also proves that the quarter of the country that they still hold in the
north of Yemen requires military liberation, instead of relying solely on
political action. However, the area that the Houthis control is rugged,
mountainous and densely populated; moreover, the rebels are using civilians
there as human shields to prevent aerial bombardment.
The missile attack on Riyadh, which killed one person and injured two,
confirms that Saudi Arabia and the Coalition it leads must complete the
journey to Sanaa, liberate Yemen from Houthi control, and restore it as a
state with a central authority headed by the legitimate government.
In the past, all efforts to persuade the Coalition to halt military operations
and attempt a political solution proved to be misguided; and could have led,
indeed, to serious consequences. At present, however, the Houthis and the
Iranians are struggling to smuggle their missiles into the country, and their
numbers have been limited by the continuation of the fighting.
Even the seven missiles launched on Sunday, and the ones launched before, were
mostly fired at random as a result of the Coalition's military activity, which
is hunting the Houthis down in the areas under their control.
Hence, any suggestion that political negotiation could reduce or stop military
action would only achieve what the Houthis desire — which is to reorganize
their forces on the ground and obtain more supplies of arms and fuel.
Iran, through its Houthi agents, has now condemned itself in front of the new
international envoy, Martin Griffiths.
Met by the multiple missile attack on Saudi Arabia, Griffiths can see that a
political solution cannot be based on granting the Houthis any political
concessions outside the framework of the original political project; which
calls for participation under the exclusive framework of the legitimate
government, and the need to withdraw all weapons from the warring parties
"outside" that legitimate government.
There is no political solution that can justify granting the Houthis, and
others, a mandate over some areas, allowing them to keep their weapons, or
giving them a greater role in the political process.
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed is the former 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 Al-Madina and Al-Bilad.
©
EsinIslam.Com
Add Comments